Arizona Army National Guard to establish first Gray Eagle 25M unit with eight aircraft scheduled for delivery in September 2027

The Arizona Army National Guard will establish the first unit equipped with General Atomics' MQ-1C Gray Eagle 25M, with eight aircraft scheduled for delivery in September 2027. The updated unmanned aircraft is designed around open-architecture mission systems, improved onboard computing and expanded ability to accommodate modern sensors and payloads. Four additional Army National Guard companies are planned by the end of 2029 as the service broadens its remotely piloted intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance capacity. Although the longer-term objective covers eight divisions, funding had been identified for only three companies when the initial deployment plan was announced.