Cobham to Supply Anti-Jam GPS Solution for US Army Gray Eagle UAS

Cobham Aerospace Connectivity has been selected by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) and the U.S. Army to provide the anti-jam GPS systems for the MQ-1C ER Gray Eagle Extended Range (GE-ER) Unmanned Aircraft System (UAS) platform.

As part of a Multi-Domain Operation(MDO) equipment suite that is compatible with existing GE-ER aircraft, the DACU-8 capability provides Assured Positioning, Navigation and Timing(A-PNT) to the Gray Eagle ER UAS, weapons, and sensors. This low-cost, highly resilient modification to the Gray Eagle ER UAS ensures that the platform can provide Reconnaissance, Surveillance, and Target Acquisition (RSTA) and attack capability even in a GPS contested environment.

The Digital Antenna Control Unit (DACU) and Controlled Radiation Pattern Array (CRPA) antenna system, which started shipping in Q2 2020, has been chosen for its superior performance in both jammed and benign environments and its ability to output Direction Finding (DF) to on-board systems. This direction finding capability allows the system to perform as a sensor, enabling the platform to identify, locate and respond to the jamming threat. Cobham is uniquely positioned to deliver platform-calibrated systems which results in superior real-world performance.

Matt Cadwell, North America Sales Director said “GA-ASI and Cobham collaborated very closely on integration activities and on-platform performance evaluations to deliver cutting edge technology for the U.S. Army. Cobham is very proud to support GA-ASI’s leadership through the “survive, persist, and thrive” evolution in denied environments. The DACU-8 capability ensures GE-ER’s ability to persist in a contested environment, providing critical RSTA capability in a contested environment, supporting the Army as well as the joint force.”