US Army upgrades MQ-1C Gray Eagle with ELINT capabilities
Upgrades to US Army MQ-1C Gray Eagles will add ELINT capabilities, enabling the platform to detect enemy radars. The upgraded drones could support the targeting efforts of Multi-Domain Task Forces.
By Sam Cranny-Evans, editor of Calibre Defence, published on April 16, 2026.
The US Army has contracted General Atomics to upgrade its MQ-1C Gray Eagle drones with an Electronic Intelligence (ELINT) pod. The work is being done in cooperation with the Sierra Nevada Corporation and the Capability Program Executive for Intelligence and Spectrum Warfare, the April 15 press release states.
The upgrades are being applied to the extended range variants of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle. The type has been tested during the Project CONVERGENCE exercise in 2025, reportedly performing in an “electronically contested environment.”
During that exercise, the MQ-1C was used to locate and report different targets through fused sensors. The types of targets were not made clear, but the ELINT capability is openly related to detecting radars. It is likely that the ELINT technology comes from the Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC).
SNC and General Atomics have worked together in the past, integrating an ELINT payload onto an MQ-9B SeaGuardian for the RIMPAC exercises in 2022. The MQ-1C has an open architecture, which should help smooth the integration pathway.
Does this mean the MQ-1C won’t be cancelled?
The US Army Chief of Staff Gen. Randy George and Army Secretary Dan Driscoll issued a memo in May 2025 that had a sweeping impact on the US Army. It stated, amongst other things, that procurement of “outdated crewed attack aircraft…and obsolete UAVs like the Gray Eagle” would be cancelled. It appears that the aircraft has avoided the chopping block and will become an important part of the US Army’s future force.
Some elements that stand out from the General Atomics press release are the assertion that it flew in a contested environment. This likely means jamming was used, and that a lot of radios were sharing that airspace. It does not mean that the MQ-1C is suddenly survivable against air defences.
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However, between the satellite comms link that has been tested on the Gray Eagle for control, and its ELINT package, it could prove quite resilient. SATCOMs are quite difficult to jam and ELINT would enable it to detect radars from long-range. This would reduce its exposure to air defence systems, in theory at least.
Calibre comment: MQ-1C and the Multi-Domain Task Forces
A Typhon missile launcher with the 3rd Multi-Domain Task Force launches an SM-6 missile in Australia. Credit: Sgt. Perla Alfaro/US Army.
The US Army is developing and equipping its Multi-Domain Task Forces to create openings in adversary A2/AD networks. The idea is that layered long-range strike and electronic effects can suppress and degrade those air defences, providing a window for other US assets to enter the theatre. This concept is broadly designed around the challenges associated with fighting in the Indo-Pacific. There, extreme range and a very significant number of Chinese assets pose a real risk to US forces.
In that context, an MQ-1C Gray Eagle carrying an ELINT capability would be very valuable. In theory, it would be able to generate targeting information from long ranges based on radar emissions alone. There would likely be a need to combine Gray Eagle feeds with other reconnaissance assets, but providing the electronic cuing is a strong start. It is possible that this is a lesson the US Army has learnt from Operation Epic Fury, where MQ-9s have played a valuable role in providing persistent targeting data.
The lead image shows an MQ-1C Extended Range Gray Eagle. Credit: General Atomics.
