General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) celebrated a milestone with the production of its first EagleEye multi-mode radar on July 31. This advanced radar system is designed to provide high-resolution, photographic-quality imagery through challenging conditions such as clouds, rain, dust, smoke, and fog, extending its operational range significantly beyond previous models.
The EagleEye radar will be integrated as a “drop-in” enhancement for the U.S. Army’s Gray Eagle Extended Range Unmanned Aircraft Systems (UAS) and will be a key component of the new Gray Eagle 25M (GE 25M) UAS configuration. The Army National Guard has already placed an order for 12 GE 25Ms.“The EagleEye radar has improved range and multi-mode performance, which is tailored to the deep sensing capability required for Multi-Domain Operations (MDO),” said Jeff Hettick, GA-ASI Vice President of Agile Mission Systems. “We look forward to delivering the EagleEye to our U.S. Army customer in the near future.”
Earlier this year, GA-ASI unveiled a new Active Electronically Scanned Array (AESA) antenna and accompanying software for the EagleEye radar. These advancements promise enhanced range and mode performance, enabling the radar to operate well outside the Weapons Effects Zone of most threat systems. This capability supports the Stand-Off survivability with Stand-In effects of long-range sensors, a critical feature of the Gray Eagle 25M.
EagleEye builds on GA-ASI’s extensive experience, utilizing Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) to penetrate atmospheric conditions that might hinder visual sensors. For the first time on the Gray Eagle platform, EagleEye introduces “Video SAR” — a radar-based Full-Motion Video (FMV) feature that allows for live visual tracking of moving targets, even under heavy cloud cover. Additionally, real-time Artificial Intelligence/Machine Learning (AI/ML) software onboard enhances target detection capabilities. The radar excels in Moving Target Indication (MTI), change detection, and stripmap generation, providing valuable insights to analysts, commanders, and operators.
