# MQ-1 Gray Eagle UAV — Program Element 0305219A

**Program element:** 0305219A  
**Component:** U.S. Army  
**Appropriation:** 2040 — RDT&E, Army  
**Budget Activity:** 7 — Operational System Development  
**Vintage:** President's Budget PB2027  
**Canonical URL:** https://hitchintel.com/programs/0305219A

## Summary

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.

## Funding profile

| Fiscal Year | Estimate Type | Amount ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| FY2025 | Actual | 6.7 |
| FY2026 | Enacted | 3.4 |
| FY2027 | Request | 2.6 |
| FY2028 | Outyear | 2.8 |
| FY2029 | Outyear | 2.8 |
| FY2030 | Outyear | 2.8 |
| FY2031 | Outyear | 2.9 |

> Estimate types are not summed — the profile mixes actuals, enacted law, the request, and outyear projections.

## Congressional marks (FY2027)

| Stage | Marked ($M) | Change ($M) |
|---|---|---|
| Request | 2.6 | — |
| House NDAA (HASC) | 2.6 | +0.0 |
| Senate NDAA (SASC) | 2.6 | +0.0 |
| House Approps (HAC-D) | 2.6 | +0.0 |

> FY2027 NDAA authorization marks, as of 2026-07-27. Not appropriations or final law.

## Projects (1)

| Project | Title | FY2025 actual | FY2026 enacted | FY2027 request | Move |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| MQ2 | MQ-1C Gray Eagle Modifications | 6.7 | 3.4 | 2.6 | −25% |

> Projects are the summable leaves: the program element total is their sum, never added to it.

### Project MQ2 — MQ-1C Gray Eagle Modifications

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.

**Named R-3 performers** (share of this project's FY2027 R-3 total, so they need not reach 100%)**:** General Atomics (2.6, 100%).

| Activity (R-2A) | FY2025 | FY2026 | FY2027 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Assured Positioning, Navigation, & Timing | 6.7 | 3.4 | 2.6 |

> R-2A activities carry the prior, current and budget year only — no five-year plan. Coverage is partial, so count them, never total them.

## Where the FY2027 request goes

| Category | Share | $M |
|---|---|---|
| Industry primes | 100% | 2.6 |

**Top named industry performers:** General Atomics ($2.6M, 100%).

> R-3 exhibit contract funding, not USAspending obligations.

## 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.

## Related program elements

- [0604036A — Multi-Domain Sensing System (MDSS) Adv Dev](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0604036A) (Army)
- [0605450M — Joint Air-to-ground Missile (JAGM)](https://hitchintel.com/programs/0605450M) (Navy)
- [1208053SF — Joint Tactical Ground Station](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1208053SF) (Space Force)
- [1203155SF — Ground Moving Target Indicator](https://hitchintel.com/programs/1203155SF) (Space Force)

## Source & machine access

- **Source:** FY2027 Department of the Army RDT&E Budget Justification, Exhibits R-2/R-3, PE 0305219A (PB PB2027); FY2027 NDAA committee marks (as of 2026-07-27).
- **MCP:** `mcp.hitchintel.com` — `budget_get_program_element(pe="0305219A")`.

*HitchAI is an independent intelligence service, not affiliated with the U.S. Department of Defense. Budget figures are requests/estimates, not obligations.*