U.S. Army National Guard to Field Eight Gray Eagle 25M Drones in Arizona for Potential Golden Dome Support.

Arizona will become the first state to field an Army National Guard company equipped with eight Gray Eagle 25M unmanned aircraft, with General Atomics confirming on October 12, 2026, that deliveries are scheduled for September 2027. Offering nearly 40 hours of endurance, EagleEye multi-mode radar, electro-optical/infrared sensors, and an open architecture for new payloads and effects, the Gray Eagle 25M will give Guard forces a persistent reconnaissance, surveillance, and targeting capability for combat missions abroad and homeland defense at home, while marking the first step in a broader plan to equip all eight Army National Guard divisions with dedicated long-endurance unmanned aviation units.

Arizona will become the first Army National Guard state to field the Gray Eagle 25M, adding eight long-endurance unmanned aircraft in 2027 for overseas missions and homeland defense (Picture Source: General Atomics Aeronautical Systems)

Arizona is poised to become the launch point for a significant expansion of advanced unmanned aviation across the U.S. Army National Guard, bringing a modernized long-endurance unmanned aircraft capability directly into the Guard’s divisional force structure. In an announcement issued on October 12, 2026, General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, Inc. (GA-ASI) confirmed that it and the Arizona Army National Guard have finalized planning for the expected arrival of eight Gray Eagle® 25M unmanned aircraft systems in September 2027. Arizona will consequently become the first state to establish an Army National Guard UAS company equipped with the new-generation Gray Eagle 25M, marking an important step in strengthening both expeditionary combat capabilities and the Guard’s potential contribution to the defense of the U.S. homeland.

Arizona is part of the Army National Guard’s 40th Infantry Division, but the initiative reaches far beyond a single state. The Army National Guard’s stated objective is to establish eight Divisional UAS Companies, one for each of its divisions, while GA-ASI says four additional units are scheduled for fielding by the end of 2029. Three Gray Eagle 25M Guard units are currently funded by Congress and already under contract with GA-ASI. Once operational, the aircraft can support Combatant Command missions overseas while also contributing to operations against threats in the Western Hemisphere and domestic missions such as disaster response. Strategically, organic Gray Eagle 25M formations will give Guard divisions persistent reconnaissance, targeting, communications and mission-planning capacity under their own divisional structure, strengthening their ability to integrate into demanding U.S. joint and multi-domain operations.

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At the center of this transformation is the Gray Eagle 25M, the modernized evolution of the Gray Eagle ER developed for the U.S. Army’s expeditionary and Multi-Domain Operations requirements. The aircraft combines nearly 40 hours of endurance, substantial payload capacity and an open architecture designed to accommodate evolving sensors, communications systems and kinetic or non-kinetic effects. Its delivered sensor configuration includes GA-ASI’s EagleEye® multi-mode radar and electro-optical/infrared systems, with additional payload options available. The “M” designation reflects a broader modernization package that GA-ASI says includes open-architecture aircraft and ground systems, advanced datalinks and an upgraded propulsion system, allowing capabilities to be integrated as operational requirements evolve. GA-ASI also reports that the wider Gray Eagle system has surpassed one million hours of safe operations, including experience with automatic takeoff and landing.

Gray Eagle 25M’s importance extends well beyond conventional intelligence collection. According to GA-ASI, the aircraft can support long-range organic sensors and Launched Effects, allowing it to operate at greater stand-off distances during terrestrial and maritime missions while supporting counter-UAS and Reconnaissance, Surveillance and Target Acquisition operations. Its open architecture and onboard processing also position the aircraft as an airborne information and communications node capable of supporting fires, maneuver, intelligence and networked operations while working alongside manned Army aviation. For the National Guard, this means conducting persistent RSTA missions without placing an aircrew aboard the aircraft and developing the mission planning, communications and targeting expertise required to employ the system effectively in combat. GA-ASI describes Gray Eagle 25M as becoming the only UAS in the ARNG’s arsenal, underscoring the significance the company attaches to its introduction into Guard formations.

The most strategically significant dimension may be the aircraft’s potential relationship with Golden Dome for America. GA-ASI specifically states that Gray Eagle 25M’s endurance, payload capacity and open architecture could potentially enable the Army National Guard to become an asset for Golden Dome missions. That statement does not constitute confirmation that Gray Eagle 25M has been formally assigned to the Golden Dome architecture. It nevertheless points toward a credible supporting role. Official U.S. defense planning describes Golden Dome as a next-generation homeland missile-defense architecture integrating current and future sensors, command-and-control systems and defensive capabilities against ballistic, hypersonic and cruise-missile threats. Within such a system of systems, Gray Eagle 25M’s most plausible contribution would be as a persistent airborne sensing, communications, data-relay or networking platform capable of extending situational awareness and feeding information into a wider defense architecture, not as a stand-alone missile-defense solution.

The Arizona fielding also highlights the continuing importance of General Atomics Aeronautical Systems to American unmanned aviation and the U.S. defense industrial base. Rather than simply producing another aircraft variant, GA-ASI has progressively evolved the Gray Eagle family through improved propulsion, datalinks, computing, sensors and government-controlled open architecture intended to make future upgrades easier to incorporate. The company says its wider Predator-series fleet has accumulated more than nine million flight hours, reflecting decades of operational experience across the unmanned aviation sector. That accumulated engineering base gives the United States an important advantage: advanced autonomy, sensors, communications and mission systems can be introduced into an established American aircraft ecosystem instead of requiring an entirely new platform for every emerging requirement. Gray Eagle 25M represents not only a new Guard capability, but also the results of sustained U.S. investment and GA-ASI innovation in persistent, adaptable unmanned aviation.

When Arizona receives its first eight Gray Eagle 25Ms, expected in September 2027, the milestone will represent far more than the creation of a new unmanned aircraft company. It will begin the introduction of an organic long-endurance UAS capability that can strengthen U.S. Army National Guard reconnaissance, targeting, communications, counter-UAS, disaster-response and global combat operations while creating new options for supporting U.S. homeland defense. Its potential connection to Golden Dome is particularly significant, even though a formal role has not yet been publicly confirmed. By combining the National Guard’s unique domestic and expeditionary responsibilities with GA-ASI’s proven American unmanned-aircraft expertise and an architecture designed for continued modernization, Gray Eagle 25M offers the United States a flexible new tool for confronting evolving threats while keeping American forces farther from danger and reinforcing the technological strength of the nation’s defense enterprise.

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Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group

Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.