The US Army's deputy chief of staff told an audience at the AUVSI conference yesterday that the service will continue to integrate unmanned aircraft into its arsenal.

The service is integrating AeroViroment Ravens, AAI Shadows and General Atomics MQ-1C Gray Eagles into its combat forces, says Gen James Barclay. Some of those systems such as the Shadow are being modernized with a new tactical common datalink.

The Gray Eagle meanwhile will receive a universal common ground station. But the Army wants to integrate signal intelligence sensors and other intelligence collection sensors onto the aircraft, Barclay says. Those signals intelligence-equipped aircraft will be assigned to military intelligence aerial exploitation battalions, he says.

Source: Flight Daily News