Gray Eagle with Hellfire missiles at Camp Taji, Iraq. (U.S. Army photo by 1st Lt. Jason Sweeney)
Gray Eagle operators of QRC-1-R1 Camp Taji, Iraq recently demonstrated firing six Hellfire missiles into the abandoned hulks of light military tactical vehicles positioned at Shadow Range in western Iraq. A Shadow from the 4th Advise and Assist Brigade, 3rd Infantry Division out of Al-Asad was flying nearby and laser designated the target.
This was a first for the Army-two unmanned aerial platforms performing a cooperative engagement. The targets were blasted with six direct hits, providing proof of the accuracy and effectiveness of the Gray Eagle in a combat environment.
Currently, four Gray Eagles are based in Camp Taji, Iraq. The airframes belong to Quick Reaction Capability 1-Replacement 1 (QRC-1-R1)-a company-size unit attached to the 40th Combat Aviation Brigade (CAB). QRC-1-R1 falls under the 8th Attack Reconnaissance Battalion, 229th Aviation Regiment, which is the 40th CAB’s attack arm. The unit’s Gray Eagles perform a role similar to Apache and Kiowa helicopters, providing aerial reconnaissance and surveillance. And after a successful Hellfire missile test shoot in February, the Gray Eagles now give commanders in Iraq a deadly new weapon in the fight against extremists. Although the Gray Eagle had previously fired Hellfire missiles in Afghanistan, the February test shoot was the first time weapons had been fired from the airframe in Iraq.
The Gray Eagles have been at Camp Taji since June 2010, but had been flying unarmed. Their high-tech surveillance capabilities have been employed to find weapons caches and IEDs, and they’ve been used to locate and designate targets for other aircraft, as well as walk ground units in on targets. Ground units are able to monitor video feeds from the Gray Eagle on laptops in their Humvees. The airframe also serves as a communications platform, boosting the signal strength and range of ground-based radios.
The Gray Eagle is manufactured by General Atomics. Essentially, the Gray Eagle is the latest version of the Predator series of drones, retooled and upgraded for Army-specific needs. The Air Force’s Predator drones are flown by officers who are usually located back in the USA and connected to the airframes by satellite link. But flying the Army’s Gray Eagle is an enlisted Soldier’s affair, done in theatre and close to the ground troops that the airframe serves.
“The Gray Eagle allows commanders to see through the fog of war and helps them command and control the battle,” said Capt. Mike Goodwin, a Black Hawk helicopter pilot and commander of QRC-1-R1. “You don’t have to be a certified pilot to fly it. The aircraft is very autonomous.”
The Army is gearing up to supply all its combat aviation brigades with 12 Gray Eagles apiece.
Source: Black Anthem
But you DO have to have a manned instrument rating to fly the MQ-1C in national airspace.