The U.S. Army marked the final flight of its first unmanned aircraft system as part of the transition toward a new UAS that will support the service branch’s surveillance and reconnaissance operations.The Army said Dec. 21 the General Atomics-built Grey Eagle drone will replace the Hunter, which will redeploy from Fort Hood in Texas to government-owned/contractor-operated units overseas.
General Atomics will deliver the Grey Eagle to the 15th Military Intelligence Battalion beginning next year.
According to the Army, the Hunter initially supported training exercises but eventually deployed to warfighting and peacekeeping operations in the Balkans and Iraq between 1999 and 2003.
The Grey Eagle’s electro-optical/infrared systems build on the Hunter’s imaging technology to provide real-time situational awareness of battlefield conditions, the Army said.
