General Atomics wins $110.3 million Army contract to maintain MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAVs
REDSTONE ARSENAL, Ala., 8 May 2013. General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc. in Poway, Calif., won a $110.3 U.S. Army modification Tuesday to maintain and repair the Army's MQ-1C Gray Eagle medium altitude long endurance unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) operating in Afghanistan.
The contract modification, awarded by the Army Contracting Command at Redstone Arsenal, Ala., brings the cumulative value of the product support and fleet-sustainment contract to $354.7 million, Army officials say.
The General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAV is a medium altitude long endurance (MALE) unmanned aircraft that is an upgraded MQ-1 Predator as an extended-range multi-purpose UAV. The aircraft can be fitted with the AGM-114 Hellfire missile or GBU-44/B Viper Strike guided bomb for attack missions.
The Gray Eagle has an increased wingspan than the Predator, and is powered by a Thielert Centurion 1.7 heavy fuel engine (HFE) able to burn jet and diesel fuel. It can fly for as long as 36 hours at altitudes to 25,000 feet. It has an operating range of 200 nautical miles.
The Gray Eagle UAV has a synthetic aperture radar/ground moving target indicator (SAR-GMTI) system, and targeting capability from an AN/AAS-52 multi-spectral targeting system (MTS) under the nose. The aircraft can carry a payload of 800 pounds.
The UAV is 28 feet long, has a wingspan of 56 feet, and is nearly seven feet high. The unmanned aircraft uses the AN/ZPY-1 STARLite radar system. It first flew in 2004 and has been deployed since 2009.
General Atomics, the original designers of the Gray Eagle UAV, will do the work in Afghanistan. For more information contact General Atomics online at www.ga.com, or the Army Contracting Command at www.army.mil/ACC.
John Keller | Editor
John Keller is editor-in-chief of Military & Aerospace Electronics magazine, which provides extensive coverage and analysis of enabling electronic and optoelectronic technologies in military, space, and commercial aviation applications. A member of the Military & Aerospace Electronics staff since the magazine's founding in 1989, Mr. Keller took over as chief editor in 1995.
