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RDT&E Program Element · President's Budget PB2027

MQ-1 Gray Eagle UAV

PE 0305219A·U.S. Army·Approp. 2040 — RDT&E·BA7 — Operational System Development
FY2027 Request
$2.6M
Army · RDT&E
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U.S. Army funding falls 25% to a $2.6M request in FY2027, sustained across the five-year plan. In the FY2027 defense authorization, the House funded it in full; the Senate funded it in full; House appropriators funded it in full. General Atomics leads the industry work.

FY2027 Request
$2.6M
▼ 25% vs FY2026
FY2026 Enacted
$3.4M
▼ 48% vs FY2025
FY2025 Actual
$6.7M
Prior year

For fiscal year 2027, the U.S. Army is requesting $2.6M for MQ-1 Gray Eagle UAV under RDT&E program element 0305219A, down 25% from FY2026.

Funding trajectory

Funding profile, FY2025–FY2031

Prior years are actuals, the budget year is the request, and the outyears are the FYDP plan. Estimate types are colored and never summed into one figure.

06.7FY25ACTUAL3.4FY26ENACTED2.6FY27REQUEST2.8FY282.8FY292.8FY302.9FY31
Actual Enacted Request Outyear (FYDP)
Fiscal YearEstimate TypeAmount ($M)
FY2025Actual6.7
FY2026Enacted3.4
FY2027Request2.6
FY2028Outyear2.8
FY2029Outyear2.8
FY2030Outyear2.8
FY2031Outyear2.9
Where it sits

Acquisition lifecycle

This program is funded in RDT&E Budget Activity 7 — Operational System Development.

Complete
Research
BA 1–2
Complete
Advanced Technology
BA 3
Complete
Prototyping
BA 4
Current
Development & Fielding
BA 5–7
Inside the program element

1 project rolls up into PE 0305219A

Projects are the summable leaves — the PE total is their sum, never added to it. Program elements and projects carry the full five-year plan; activities stop at the budget year. This PE moves -25% overall, which can hide much larger swings below.

Project MQ2

MQ-1C Gray Eagle Modifications

$2.6MFY2027 request ▼ 25%
FY2025 actual$6.7M
FY2026 enacted$3.4M
FY2027 request$2.6M
Product Development

FY2027 RDTE supports threat detection enhancements and continued development efforts required for integration of hardware enabling components for vision-based navigation (VBN) onto MQ-1C Gray Eagle platforms.

Accomplishments / planned programs (R-2A) — prior, current and budget year only
Assured Positioning, Navigation, & Timing▼ 25%
FY2025 actual$6.7M
FY2026 enacted$3.4M
FY2027 request$2.6M

FY2027 planned work FY2027 RDTE supports threat detection enhancements and continued development efforts required for integration of hardware enabling components for vision-based navigation (VBN) onto MQ-1C Gray Eagle platforms. This complementary navigation solution supports the ability of the platform to survive, persist, and operate effectively in Global Positioning System (GPS) denied/contested environments (emerging GPS threats). M-Code transition is required by public law 111-383.

FY2026 to FY2027 change FY 2027 funding decrease reflects the maturation in threat detection enhancements and developmental efforts required for integration of hardware enabling components for vision-based navigation (VBN).

FY2026 plans — current year FY2026 RDTE dollars supports continued development efforts required for integration of hardware enabling components for vision-based navigation (VBN) onto MQ-1C Gray Eagle platforms. This complementary navigation solution supports the ability of the platform to survive, persist, and operate effectively in Global Positioning System (GPS) denied/contested environments (emerging GPS threats). M-Code transition is required by public law 111-383.

FY2025 accomplishments FY2025 RDTE dollars supports continued development efforts required for integration of hardware enabling components for vision-based navigation (VBN) onto MQ-1C Gray Eagle platforms. This complementary navigation solution supports the ability of the platform to survive, persist, and operate effectively in Global Positioning System (GPS) denied/contested environments (emerging GPS threats). M-Code transition is required by public law 111-383.

Congressional action

Congressional marks

Committee marks on the FY2027 request. Adds and cuts are reconciled in conference before they become law.

RequestPresident's Budget
$2.6M
House NDAA (HASC)HASC
$2.6M full · +$0
Senate NDAA (SASC)SASC
$2.6M full · +$0
House Approps (HAC-D)HAC_D
$2.6M full · +$0
unresolved as of 2026-07-27. These are FY2027 authorization marks (NDAA); appropriations and the conference agreement may differ.
Who's building it

Where the FY2027 request goes

Performers named in the R-3 exhibit, resolved into industry, government-lab, and unspecified shares. Budget-justification contract funding, not obligations.

General Atomics
$2.6M · 100%
Assured Positioning, Navigation, & Timing · CPFF
Where FY2027 funding flowsShare$M
Industry primes100%2.6
FY2027 request100%2.6
See General Atomics's full federal contract ledger members →
Program detail

Mission & acquisition strategy

The MQ-1C Gray Eagle provides the Army with an Extended Range, Multi-Purpose (ERMP) Uncrewed Aircraft System (UAS); capable of executing reconnaissance, security, attack, and intelligence collection missions in the Range of Military Operations (ROMO). Sensors/payloads include an Electro-Optical/Infrared/Laser Designator (EO/IR/LD), Synthetic Aperture Radar/Moving Target Indicator (SAR/MTI), Signals Intelligence (SIGINT), and HELLFIRE missiles; providing a near all-weather mission capability.

An Extended Range, Multi-Purpose (ERMP) Operational Requirement Document (ORD) was approved by the Joint Requirement Oversight Council (JROC) 6 Apr 2005. Milestone B occurred on 20 Apr 2005, and the System Development and Demonstration contract was awarded 8 Aug 2005, as a result of a competitive solicitation which included a vendor system capabilities demonstration. A Capabilities Production Document (CPD) was approved 14 Mar 2009. MQ-1C Gray Eagle completed Follow-On Test and Evaluation (FOTE) on 12 Jun 2015. This RDTE effort funds development/integration and test of key Assured Positioning Navigation and Timing (A-PNT) efforts for Gray Eagle.

Project MQ2 — MQ-1C Gray Eagle Modifications
  • Product Development
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Answers are generated from the figures on this page — the FY2027 justification exhibits and the marks tracked above — and nothing else is consulted. Confirm any figure against the cited exhibit before you use it externally.

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How does the FY2027 request compare with FY2026, and what does the five-year plan show?What did the FY2027 NDAA committees do to this request?How is the FY2027 request split between industry and government performers?In plain terms, what is this program element for and how is it being acquired?
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This page carries the budget justification and the NDAA marks — nothing else. For what General Atomics has actually been obligated, the ledger is at hitchintel.com/vendors; for live solicitations, hitchintel.com/opportunities. Both are member surfaces.

Provenance

Cite this page

Sources
FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification · Exhibits R-2 / R-3 · PE 0305219A (President's Budget PB2027) — and FY2027 NDAA committee marks, as tracked 2026-07-27.
Suggested citation
HitchAI, "MQ-1 Gray Eagle UAV (PE 0305219A)," federal budget intelligence, PB2027 vintage. hitchintel.com/programs/0305219A
Machine access
Markdown twin /programs/0305219A.md · MCP mcp.hitchintel.com → budget_get_program_element, budget_get_cong_marks