FIELD GUIDE / DRONE ATLAS / 01
Armed MALE drone · Reusable · armed ISR
Fixed-wing symbolMQ-1C Gray Eagle
The US Army’s armed long-endurance reconnaissance aircraft derived from Predator. It is separate from MQ-9 Reaper and from later Gray Eagle ER, 25M and STOL configurations. The profile keeps the Army’s dated 2014 description beside GA-ASI’s current baseline, making changes in endurance and published speed visible rather than merging them into one specification.[1][2]
- Design origin
- United States[1]
- Research edition
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
also known as MQ-1C, Gray Eagle, Грей Игл
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
The numbers, with their sources
Intervals preserve the published bounds; they are not statistical confidence intervals. A blank lower or upper bound stays open. Values belong to the named configuration, not every aircraft.
Take-off mass
≤ 1633 kg[1]Payload
≤ 488 kg[1]Body length
8.5344 m[2]Wingspan
17.0688 m[2]Endurance
24 h[2]≤ 25 h[1]Same-class research profiles · published range, km · open bounds remain open
- Bayraktar Akinci6000 km Baykar
DRONELEDGER / SCALE LAB
Turn the scale plane
A flat, schematic outline in perspective, not a 3D model. Only sourced length and span are scaled; height and internal geometry are unknown. For intervals, the upper endpoints are drawn.
8.5344 m / 17.0688 m[2]
Size in everyday terms
One scale. Different machines.
MQ-1C Gray Eagle · MQ-1C Gray Eagle · US Army 2014, feet × 0.3048 · Body length[2] · Wingspan[2]
Human height is an illustrative 1.8 m; bus length an illustrative 12 m. Car length uses the cited MINI specification. Vehicle heights and drone side contours are schematic. Top views preserve published length and span; an absent dimension is never guessed.
One car length here is 3.821 m: MINI Cooper 3 door, March 2020 specification.
In our archive
Not yet named as a model in this archive — sources usually say only “drone” or name the family.
Where this type appears
Counts follow model/family links in the archive. A general register link does not identify a model.
Drones at sea ↗
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
Drones and airports ↗
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
Developments ↗
No model-linked entry yet · explore the register
Family & configurations
MQ-1C Gray Eagle
No sourced family relationship recorded in this edition. Similar roles do not establish a common design.
Form, sound & identification limits
- The Army’s 28 ft length and 56 ft span are converted exactly using 0.3048 m per foot. GA-ASI rounds these to 9 m and 17 m. The scale drawing uses the dated Army pair, not a mix of differently rounded dimensions.[1][2]
- The Army states 24 hours in 2014; the current manufacturer page lists a 25-hour maximum. Its 488 kg internal-plus-external payload is not a measured warhead. The Army’s SATCOM-qualified distance is not used as an unqualified flight range.[1][2]
- The two original institutions document procurement and design from different perspectives; they are not independent test laboratories. A generic Predator report or later Gray Eagle variant name is not automatically a baseline MQ-1C identification.[1][2]
Shape or sound alone cannot identify a drone. Follow local public-safety alerts; do not approach wreckage.
No licensed, model-attested recording is available in our sound library.
What does it cost?
Published USD figures use different price bases and years. Airframes, export packages and support are not equivalent. These are not current offers or verified production costs.
Unknown in reviewed sources
Countermeasures in public analysis
No type-specific, independently supported summary is included in this edition.
Source notebook
- General Atomics Aeronautical Systems · Gray Eagle current product page
Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Manufacturer claim
- US Army · MQ-1C Gray Eagle UAS: 2014 programme specification
2014-11-04 · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Official report; not an independent test
Cite this profile
DroneLedger. MQ-1C Gray Eagle. Research edition 2026-11-01. https://droneincidents.com/drones/mq-1c-gray-eagle/