General Atomics on 6 August performed a 42-hour endurance flight with its Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) variant, a 68% increase over the stamina of its Gray Eagle predecessor.
A General Atomics official on 15 August attributed the extra-long flight to longer wings, fuel bladders embedded in those wings, and a more efficient engine.On August 6th MQ-1C Gray Eagle Extended Range (MQ-1C ER) aircraft completed a 41.9-hour endurance flight, exceeding the 40 hour flight test goal.
The Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS), designed and developed by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI), flew out of El Mirage, Calif. in a representative U.S. Army mission configuration. Since the first flight of MQ-1C ER on October 29, 2016, the aircraft has flown 43 test flights and accumulated over 260 hours in the air.
General Atomics President of Aircraft Systems David Alexander told reporters on 16 August at the company’s headquarters in Poway, California, that GE-ER has already been sold and entered full rate production (FRP) as an existing design. Around mid-2018, Alexander said, General Atomics will perform something similar to a formal operational test. Alexander said the company will field GE-ER after performing this test.
Alexander said General Atomics is under contract with the US Army for 160 units of the legacy Gray Eagle and roughly 60 of the extended range variant. He said the company is in talks with the Army for something similar to a service life extension programme (SLEP) that would bring the aircraft back to the manufacturer and have the new airframe installed.
“This is an important milestone for the MQ-1C ER program,” said David R. Alexander, president, Aircraft Systems, GA-ASI. “The MQ-1C ER represents a significant enhancement in capability over the currently fielded MQ-1C and will be a game changer on the battlefield in support of our Army customer.”
Starting in late August, the MQ-1C ER production aircraft will begin flight test in Dugway, Utah for evaluation of the Army’s First Article Test (FAT). FAT will demonstrate MQ-1C ER’s mission capabilities, which include increased range, endurance, and payload capacity.
In January 2018, MQ-1C ER will go through Logistics Demonstration (Log Demo) where aircraft maintainability will be validated. Then in March 2018, Follow-on Operational Test and Evaluation2 (FOTE2) will demonstrate the aircraft’s ability to meet all Army operational requirements in preparation for fielding, which is planned for August 2018.
Source: Press Release; Jane’s 360