General Atomics MQ - 1C Gray Eagle The MQ - 1C Gray Eagle ( previously the Warrior and also called Sky Warrior and ERMP ( Extended - Range Multi - Purpose ) is a Medium Altitude Long Endurance ( MALE ) unmanned aircraft system ( UAS ) under development by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems ( GA - ASI ) , funded by United States Army . It is an upgrade of the MQ - 1 Predator . Development . The U . S . Army initiated the Extended - Range Multi - Purpose UAV competition in 2002 , with the winning aircraft due to replace the RQ - 5 Hunter . Two aircraft were entered , the IAI / Northrop Grumman Hunter II , and the Warrior . In August 2005 , the Army announced the Warrior to be the winner and awarded a $ 214 million contract for system development and demonstration . The Army intends to procure eleven Warrior systems , each of these units has twelve UAVs and five ground control station s . With an expected total program cost of $ 1 billion , the aircraft became operational in 2009 . The Army sought to have the Warrior designated " MQ - 12 " , but the United States Department of Defense allocated the designation " MQ - 1C " instead . It is planned to be operated by Task Force ODIN in Iraq and / or Afghanistan . In August 2010 , the US Army announced that the MQ - 1C had officially been assigned the name " Gray Eagle " . The Army announced on 3 September 2010 that the integration of the AGM - 114 Hellfire missile on the UAV had been so successful that 4 weaponized MQ - 1Cs would be deployed to Afghanistan in late 2010 . Design . A Medium - Altitude Long - Endurance ( MALE ) UAV , the Gray Eagle has an increased wingspan and is powered by a Thielert Centurion 1 . 7 Heavy Fuel Engine ( HFE ) . This is a Diesel piston engine that burns jet fuel , giving the aircraft better performance at high altitudes . It will be capable of operating for 36 hours at altitudes up to , with an operating range of . The aircraft ' s nose fairing has been enlarged to house a Synthetic Aperture Radar / Ground Moving Target Indicator ( SAR - GMTI ) system , and targeting is also provided with an AN / AAS - 52 Multi - spectral Targeting System ( MTS ) under the nose . The aircraft can carry a payload of and may be armed with weapons such as AGM - 114 Hellfire missiles and GBU - 44 / B Viper Strike guided bombs . In May 2013 , Raytheon delivered two electronic attack payloads as part of the Army ' s Networked Electronic Warfare , Remotely Operated ( NERO ) system . NERO gives the MQ - 1C the ability to jam enemy communications . Also mounted on the C - 12 Huron , mounting on the unmanned Grey Eagle gives reduced risk , reduced operating costs , and two to three times the endurance of electronic attack missions . On 27 July 2013 , General Atomics announced the successful first flight of the Improved Gray Eagle ( IGE ) . The IGE is designed for increased endurance , with 23 additional hours compared to its Block I predecessor . It has 50 percent greater fuel capacity through its deep belly fuselage and features 50 percent or more payload capacity . The upgraded centerline hardpoint supports integration of a 500 pound optional external fuel tank or 360 degree sensor payload . The IGE ' s additional space , plus an improved Lycoming DEL - 120 Heavy Fuel Engine ( HFE ) , provides growth capability for an improved airworthiness design , with the potential of incorporating lightning protection , damage tolerance , and Traffic Collision Avoidance System ( TCAS ) features . The IGE has a maximum gross takeoff weight with its 205 Hp engine , compared to the Grey Eagle ' s MGTOW and 160 Hp engine . The Grey Eagle can carry of fuel , while the IGE can carry of fuel internally with its deep belly design and centerline hardpoint . External fuel tanks can add of extra fuel , allowing for a 50 hour endurance . The IGE also increases internal payload capacity from to . Reliability problems . Beginning in March 2011 , Gray Eagles started showing poor reliability across all major subsystems . During that month , one Gray Eagle crashed in California when a faulty chip blocked a subsystem from sending commands to part of the aircraft ' s flight control surfaces . Flight testing was delayed , and was resumed when the chip was replaced , but it still left the drone with fewer available flight hours . The average time between failures of the aircraft or components is 25 hours , while the minimum required is 100 hours . The ground control station ' s time between failures is 27 hours , while the minimum time required is 150 hours . Sensors fail at 134 hours , compared to 250 hours required . In October 2011 , a report concluded the Gray Eagle was meeting only four out of seven " key performance parameters , " and its reliability continued to fall short of predicted growth . Software fixes have led to 11 unplanned software revisions , but has generally improved reliability . Operational history . The Army ' s 1st Infantry Division ' s combat aviation brigade deployed to Iraq with developmental Grey Eagles in June 2010 . On 2 June 2012 , the Gray Eagle reached a record 10 , 000 successful automatic launch and recoveries with the Automatic Takeoff and Landing System ( ATLS ) . The system also landed with a 26 knot crosswind . By July 25 , 2012 , the Army ’ s Gray Eagle Block 1 aircraft has accumulated more than 35 , 000 flight hours since it was first deployed in 2008 . On June 25 , 2012 , General Atomics announced that the Gray Eagle had been deployed in its first full company of 12 aircraft . Initial Operational Test and Evaluation ( OT & E ) was completed in August 2012 . There are currently 50 aircraft in service with a greater than 80 % system operational availability rate . Full - rate production was planned for April 2013 , with follow - on operational testing in 2015 using a new ground station in common with the RQ - 7 Shadow . From 2008 to July 2013 , the Grey Eagle has accumulated over 70 , 000 flight hours . On 25 September 2013 , the Grey Eagle achieved 20 , 000 successful automatic launch and recoveries with the ATLS system , 15 months after reaching 10 , 000 successes . As of October 2013 , ATLS is used at 8 sites including 3 overseas sites , with 4 more sites planned by January 2015 . The Grey Eagle Block I has flown 80 , 000 hours since 2009 and currently averages 3 , 200 flight hours per month . Cumulative flight hours increased 64 percent within the last year . On 11 October 2013 , the Improved Grey Eagle took off from GA - ASI ' s El Mirage Flight Operations Facility and flew for 45 . 3 continuous hours until October 13 . The flight was the first of two endurance demonstrations of the IGE for the U . S . Army .