DRONELEDGER / Press factsheet
MQ-1C Gray Eagle
A compact selection from this profile, with sources and limits. Other configurations and additional measurements remain in the full profile.
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]
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
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.
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. 2026-11-01. https://droneincidents.com/drones/mq-1c-gray-eagle/editions/2026-11-01/
Our text, data and schematic drawings: CC BY 4.0, credit DroneLedger and link to the profile. Linked publications and quoted passages keep their own rights.