US’s new drone radar can detect even small wooden drones

General Atomics (GA) introduced the “Eagle Eye” multi-area surveillance radar systems developed for the US army. The new radar, designed to detect and track aerial targets, especially small unmanned aerial vehicles, will be installed on the US army’s highly capable “Gray Eagle” unmanned aerial vehicles. According to GA official Mike Shortsleeve, these drones, called the 25M variant, are already in production with the “Eagle Eye” installed.

Eye following drone in the sky

According to reports, Eagle Eye’s synthetic aperture radar can detect targets with high resolution up to 80 km away, while at sea this range goes up to 201 km. The system’s ability to detect small unmanned aerial vehicles attracts great attention from armies around the world these days, when unmanned aerial vehicles are becoming increasingly common. Active war zones such as Ukraine and now Israel are evidence of this trend. Drones have proven time and again to be very effective against tanks, entrenched personnel, and fixed weapons platforms.

The threat posed by drones is expected to increase as technological advances such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML) increase their capabilities and reduce their costs. That’s where GA’s Eagle Eye-equipped Gray Eagles come in, according to Shortsleeve. GA does not want to shoot down small drones detected with the Gray Eagle UAVs they currently produce. Because it does not make sense to use the expensive weapons of these unmanned systems. However, the drone detected thanks to the new radar will be reported to the troops on the ground.

General Atomics will deliver the first batch of twelve “Gray Eagle” 25Ms equipped with “Eagle Eye” to the US military in the second half of 2026. The company states that it will produce future UAVs with this radar unless the USA requests otherwise.

The Gray Eagle 25M variant features upgraded systems including open architecture aircraft and ground systems, a more powerful engine, advanced data links and increased range. The company has been producing these vehicles since the 2000s, but work on the program has accelerated significantly in the last five years, according to GA. Shortsleeve acknowledged that GA’s new system has attracted interest from various countries, but refrained from naming any names. It was also said that it may be possible to adapt the radar to other platforms beyond the “Gray Eagle” unmanned aerial vehicle.