UAV Adds Another Tool to the Box of Uncrewed DoD Toys

General Atomics has demonstrated their new Eaglet, a new survivable Air-Launched Effect (ALE).

The flight was done as part of a flight demonstration based out of the Dugway Proving Grounds in Utah last December but only published recently. The Eaglet was launched from a U.S. Army MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) UAS aircraft, kicking off the first of many flights as the company and its customers look to define a suitable role for the ALE. 

The Eaglet design "extends battlefield options for commanders while reducing their decision cycles," with enough payload to accommodate a range of sensors and packages. The duo of an Eaglet and Gray Eagle allows the larger aircraft to carry the smaller one for hundreds of miles before launching the ALE closer to the target area. General Atomics says they'll continue to feature the tool in other exercises to further ascertain what can be done with the latest and greatest from their Evolution Series of UAVs.

"The Eaglet flight was jointly funded by GA-ASI and the U.S. Army Combat Capabilities Development (DEVCOM) Army Research Laboratory (ARL) and Aviation & Missile Center (AvMC).

“The first flight of the Eaglet was an important milestone for the GA-ASI/U.S. Army team,” said GA-ASI President David R. Alexander. “Eaglet is intended to be a low-cost, survivable UAS with the versatility to be launched from a Gray Eagle, rotary-wing aircraft, or ground vehicles. It enables extended reach of sensors and increased lethality while providing survivability for manned aircraft.”

FMI: www.ga-asi.com