General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) has successfully completed initial flight tests integrating Proliferated Low Earth Orbit (PLEO) satellite communications with the U.S. Army’s Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS). This achievement, part of ongoing tests initiated in January 2025, represents a critical step forward, marking GE-ER as the first U.S. Army UAS capable of leveraging a PLEO constellation for communications.
Early tests evaluated vital flight-critical functions, including aircraft control, sensor integration, and satellite connectivity, with two successful GE-ER flights and multiple ground-based validations completed thus far. Future trials will expand testing throughout the aircraft’s entire operational envelope, ensuring seamless integration in Multi-Domain Operations.
Don Cattell, GA-ASI Vice President of Army Programs, highlighted the importance of this milestone: “PLEO integration demonstrates the practical strength of the GE-ER’s open architecture. Our rapid integration approach is essential for maintaining battlefield superiority and mission flexibility.”
Looking ahead, PLEO capability will become standard on the Gray Eagle 25M platform, significantly enhancing operational flexibility, global communication reliability, and survivability against electronic threats.
Photo Credit: General Atomics
Edited: Katerina Urbanova
