Gray Eagle Soars From Sea To Land

An uncrewed Gray Eagle drone made by General Atomics has achieved a new first by taking off from a South Korean warship and landing at a ground base.

As per a recent press statement from the defence firm — which also makes the Avenger, Lynx, Predator, Reaper, SeaGuardian, and SkyGuardian Uncrewed Aerial Systems (UAS) — the Gray Eagle's November 12 flight was the first ever successful mission for an aircraft of its type.

The Short Take-Off and Landing (STOL) version of the UAS was launched from the South Korean Navy’s amphibious landing ship Dokdo off the coast of Pohang, South Korea, and landed at Pohang Navy Airfield. Gray Eagle STOL, previously known as known as Mojave, has much in common with other Gray Eagle variants, but features a different engine, wings, control surfaces and landing gear.

Manufacturer General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) claims that Gray Eagle — an upgrade to its previous MQ-1 Predator — is the only medium-altitude, long-endurance craft of its kind able to operate both from large-deck warships such as amphibious ships and aircraft carriers, as well as short and unimproved landing strips on dry land.

GA-ASI carried out the latest South Korean test in conjunction with its in-country partner, Hanwha Aerospace.

GA-ASI's Chief Executive Officer Linden Blue commented: "We applaud the South Korean navy for its foresight in examining the unique capability of GE STOL for its fleet. This demonstration illustrates the ability of the GE STOL to safely operate on many types of aircraft-capable ships, which opens myriad new ways our allies can use this UAS to support multi-domain naval operations.”

Hanwha Aerospace CEO and President Jae-il Son added: "Hanwha Aerospace is engaged with General Atomics to support national defense with proven, state-of-the-art technology suited for a multi-domain warfare environment, contributing to global security alongside allied nations in response to rapidly growing threats."

The Ministry of National Defense for the Republic of Korea is currently evaluating Gray Eagle's potential to meet its emerging military requirements. 

“The demo highlighted the versatility of STOL aboard a warship, in the Dokdo, designed not for fixed-wing aircraft but solely for helicopters. Gray Eagle STOL’s flight proves that navies can add significant new capability without costly major modifications to their existing warships,” said South Korean Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral Yang Yong-mo.

• You can read more details on the GA-ASI website