Will New Year North Korean Command Strike Drone Capability Increase? [Yang Nak-gyu's Defence Club]

[Asia Economy Reporter Yang Nak-gyu] The capabilities of the MQ-1C 'Gray Eagle' unmanned attack drone deployed at the US Forces Korea Gunsan base are expected to be enhanced. Interest in unmanned attack drones has increased following the assassination of Qassem Soleimani, a key figure in the Iranian military and commander of the elite Quds Force of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps. There are predictions that the Gray Eagle could be used targeting North Korean Supreme Leader Kim Jong-un.

US Forces Korea decided to deploy the Gray Eagle to the Gunsan base in 2015 and held a ceremony in February 2018 to establish a Gray Eagle company consisting of 12 drones. Despite the US Forces Korea's statement at the time that "the Gray Eagle on the Korean Peninsula will be used mainly for reconnaissance rather than attack," it has been assessed since deployment as essentially intended for decapitation operations targeting North Korean leadership.

The Gray Eagle, an upgraded version of the Predator (MQ-1), is a medium-altitude unmanned aircraft with a length of 8 meters and a wingspan of 17 meters. It can fly for up to 30 hours at a maximum speed of 280 km/h. It has the capability to conduct 24-hour continuous flights and high-definition surveillance over the entire Korean Peninsula. Notably, it can be equipped with four Hellfire anti-tank missiles capable of striking enemy tanks approximately 8 km away, and four of the latest small precision-guided bombs, the GBU-44/B 'Viper Strike.' In emergencies, it can directly strike key targets north of the Military Demarcation Line (MDL) in North Korea. The US military employs tactics that maximize effectiveness by operating the Gray Eagle alongside special forces infiltrating enemy rear areas. The Gray Eagle has been active on frontlines in the Middle East, including Iraq and Afghanistan.

General Atomics Aeronautical Systems (GA-ASI), the manufacturer of the Gray Eagle, recently completed demonstrations of significantly enhanced capabilities, including extended range. The new version of the upgraded Gray Eagle is called the 'Gray Eagle ER (Extended Range)' (photo).

The Gray Eagle ER has a maximum flight time of 42 hours, a 70% increase over the previous flight time of 25 hours. Its payload capacity has also increased. The maximum fuel load of the Gray Eagle ER is 1,350 pounds (900 pounds internal, 450 pounds external), which is up to 125% more than the previous Gray Eagle's 600 pounds. Notably, the Gray Eagle ER is equipped with the Lynx Block 30A long-range synthetic aperture radar and ground moving target indicator (SAR/GMTI), enabling detection of enemies within a 75 km range.

David R. Alexander, President of GA-ASI, stated, "The Gray Eagle ER is an essential tool for multi-domain operational environments, just like manned platforms operated by the US Army. Through this multi-domain operational demonstration, it is encouraging to showcase the Gray Eagle ER’s enhanced durability and range, as well as its capabilities equipped with long-range sensors and air-launched assets with improved technology readiness levels (TRL)."