Threats Had No Effect On Target Acquisition During PC-C5 Event

The U.S. Army evaluated an MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) UAS in its Project Convergence Capstone 5 (PC-C5) exercise during March to test the utility and capabilities of the vehicle in threat environments. The vehicle successfully demonstrated the ability to generate targets of interest while being unaffected by electronic countermeasures.

The exercise was based at Fort Irwin, California, and additional ranges in the area by the 82nd Airborne Division and participating units. The vehicle flew at altitudes that negated kinetic threats and its long-range sensors were able to effectively detect and target electronic threats at ranges relevant for multi-domain operations.

The Gray Eagle ER is a medium-altitude, long-endurance UAS as an upgraded version of the MQ-1 Predator. The PC-C5 event is a campaign of the Army’s Futures Command that experiments and evaluates technologies that may be potentially useful in carrying out the Army’s various missions.

For the evaluation flights, the GE-ER was equipped with modern communications and electronic intelligence, synthetic aperture radar/moving target indicator, and mobile ad hoc network radios. The integration of this variety of technologies underscored the utility of the vehicle’s CMOSS or C5ISR Modular Open Suite of Standards open architecture.

Army personnel also demonstrated the Gray Eagle’s laptop-based Expeditionary Ground Control System to effect, highlighting its utility with a minimal footprint of both equipment and human assets.

GA-ASI President David R. Alexander said, “The Gray Eagle is a true workhorse. We were able to rapidly integrate third-party systems, develop Soldier-focused interfaces, and disseminate relevant data to support MDO requirements for long-range deep sensing and ATNE. GE-ER’s long-range sensors enabled it to execute missions outside of the threat range, proving survivability against advanced threats.”

FMI:  www.ga-asi.com/