Arizona Guard first to field Gray Eagle 25M drone

The Arizona National Guard will become the first state to establish a unit equipped with the unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, known as the Gray Eagle 25M. According to Monday’s announcement by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems , which manufactures the aircraft, the Arizona Guard will receive eight Gray Eagle 25Ms by September 2027 and four more by the end of 2029. Patrick Shortsleeve, the company’s vice president of Defense Department strategic development, called the aircraft “an integral part of the Army Aviation team” as it works closely with advanced autonomy and manned rotary-wing…