U.S. Army Plans Gray Eagle Replacement RFP Soon

The US Army plans to issue a request for proposals for its MQ-1C Gray Eagle replacement after reviewing industry feedback from an earlier solicitation and a capability challenge. The Group 4+ vertical or short takeoff and landing effort seeks a long-endurance, multimission unmanned aircraft for reconnaissance, surveillance and target acquisition. Officials emphasize a broader architecture that connects aircraft with soldiers and other aviation assets, including opportunities to reuse work undertaken by other services. Potential offerings include Shield AI's X-BAT, General Atomics' expected Mojave proposal and Anduril's Thunder tiltrotor, but the forthcoming competition has not produced a platform selection.