General Atomics Aeronautical Systems Inc (GA-ASI) has conducted the first flight of its Gray Eagle 25M (GE-25M) unmanned aircraft vehicle (UAV), the company reported on 25 January 2024.
The maiden flight, which took place on 5 December 2023 out of GA-ASI’s El Mirage flight facility in California, marks a significant milestone in the Gray Eagle modernisation programme as the US Army continues to develop the multi-domain operations (MDO)-capable GE-25Ms for US Army active-duty and National Guard units.
The flight followed the award of an undefinitised contract on 1 December 2023, not to exceed USD 389 million (EUR 358 million), for a Gray Eagle 25M production-representative test aircraft. The GE-25M is expected to be in US Army service into the 2050s.
The first flight of Gray Eagle 25M focused on flight critical operations, including the testing of an improved flight computer boasting five times more processing capacity and 80 times more data storage (with 10 times more RAM) for increased computing power that enables ‘processing at the edge’, as well as meeting the demand for increased automation and autonomy. The flight also tested the aircraft’s new 200 HP Heavy Fuel Engine 2.0 (HFE 2.0) and power generation systems. Designed in co-operation with the army’s Project Manager Endurance Uncrewed Aircraft Systems (PM EUAS), the new engine, gearbox, and generator design decreases major maintenance actions and virtually eliminates the need for overhaul, according to GA-ASI.
“In an MDO environment, soldiers need the aircraft to operate with increased reliability along with reduced manning and equipment, which is why GE-25M significantly reduces the maintenance required on the aircraft,” GA-ASI President David R Alexander, was quoted as saying in a company press release.
The GE-25M’s more powerful generators, combined with advanced avionics, enable the aircraft to function as an MDO ‘truck’ with the ability to utilise a variety of advanced multi-intelligence sensors, launched effects, and electronic warfare pods.
GA-ASI is teamed with PM EUAS to deliver a government-owned, government-controlled open architecture that will enable plug-and-play capabilities for the GE-25M, ensuring it can adapt to changing threats in the future. The GE-25M thus incorporates open-architecture aircraft and ground systems, advanced datalinks, and an upgraded propulsion system, significantly enhancing the ability to add new capabilities, provide resilience to electronic threats and deliver expeditionary employment to austere locations.
