ABERDEEN PROVING GROUND, MD – The U.S. Army finalized a $118 million Undefinitized Contract Action (UCA) with Raytheon, an RTX business, on March 18, to produce new Common Sensor Payload version 3 (CSP v3) systems. The UCA was originally awarded to Raytheon on June 20, 2023, with initial partial funding, allowing Raytheon to rapidly begin work on CSP v3 production.
The CSP serves as the “eyes” of the MQ-1C Gray Eagle uncrewed aircraft system (UAS) by providing high-definition imagery in day or night conditions. The CSP also provides a targeting capability for laser-guided munitions, to include air-to-ground AGM-114 Hellfire missiles. Since achieving Initial Operational Capability (IOC) in 2011, previous versions of CSPs have accumulated more than one million flight hours on the Gray Eagle in support of Army units worldwide.
The CSP is managed by the Product Manager for Aerial Enhanced Radars, Optics, and Sensors (PdM AEROS), which falls under Project Director Sensors-Aerial Intelligence (PD SAI) of Program Executive Office Intelligence, Electronic Warfare and Sensors (PEO IEW&S). The CSP v3 production UCA was a joint effort between PdM AEROS, PdM Endurance Unmanned Aircraft System (EUAS) (who manages the Gray Eagle program) and Army Contracting Command-Aberdeen Proving Ground (ACC-APG).
The decision to use a UCA for the CSP v3 procurement was driven primarily by the PdM EUAS timeline for procurement of new modernized MQ-1C-25M Gray Eagle systems. To better align CSP v3 deliveries with the -25M Gray Eagle aircraft deliveries, PdM AEROS and ACC-APG pursued a UCA, which is an Alpha-contracting strategy that reduced the CSP v3 projected lead time down to 24 months. When PdM EUAS awarded a UCA for -25M Gray Eagle production in December 2023, the CSP v3 UCA was already in place and fully positioned to support the needed timelines. Additional funding from PdM EUAS for payload procurements provided economies of scale, resulting in an about 25 percent decrease in CSP v3 system unit cost since PdM AEROS was able to buy the payloads at a larger quantity.
“The CSP v3 is the latest iteration of the CSP, which resolves several critical subcomponent obsolescence issues present on the currently fielded CSP v2 and incorporates updated sensor hardware to provide enhanced imaging capabilities,” said Doug Haskin, PdM AEROS.
The updated payload also introduces Target Location Accuracy (TLA), enabling precision, near-real time engagements with Coordinate Seeking Weapons (CSWs) by reducing the sensor-to-shooter process from minutes to seconds.
CSWs are different from laser-guided munitions (like the Hellfire missile). Laser-guided munitions must have a steady and constant laser spot to follow until the moment of impact. That laser spot can come from the CSP internal laser designator, or it could be from another ground or air platform. On the other hand, the CSWs do not require a laser spot to follow. They are “fire-and-forget” weapons, programmed with a specific set of coordinates and use an internal navigation source – such as a Global Positioning System and/or other sensors – to navigate to the target.
“I’m truly excited to be a member of the PdM AEROS Team bringing the CSP v3 capability to maturity,” said Jim Chapman, CSP Targeting and Fire Support subject matter expert, former Product Manager for Fire Support Command & Control, and retired U.S. Army Lieutenant Colonel. “I see the value added that CSP v3 and the TLA capability brings to the Army, and once this payload is fielded, the Gray Eagle will be capable of providing precision coordinates throughout its flight profile which will increase the lethality of the U.S. Army.”
The CSP v3 prototype systems were developed over several years and tested against Army standards in late-2023. On-platform testing of a prototype CSP v3 on a MQ-1C Gray Eagle is scheduled to occur in April to May 2024. This testing is a joint effort between PdM AEROS, PdM EUAS, Army Test and Evaluation Command (ATEC), Aviation and Missile Center Software, Simulation, Systems Engineering and Integration (AvMC S3I) Directorate, General Atomics, and Raytheon. During this test, the Government will also collect data to characterize the TLA capability performance.
“Overall, this is a big win for the partnership between PdM AEROS and PdM EUAS as we work together to enable the warfighter to maintain battlefield superiority,” said Maj. Michael Kim, Assistant Product Manager at PdM AEROS. “The TLA capability is paramount in meeting the Army’s modernization objectives through automation of target location error as well as the Multi-Domain Operations [MDO] by directly linking a UAS platform to a surface-to-surface Precision Fires capability.”
The CSP v3 is the first step in providing a fully modernized sensor package that will support the MDO for the new -25M Gray Eagle. The CSP v3 production systems are expected to begin delivering in June 2025, with a first unit equipped date planned for Fiscal Year 2026.
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