Army awards contract to RTX for updated common sensor payload systems

The Army has awarded a contract worth as much as $118 million to RTX to procure the latest version of common sensor payload systems that will operate on the MQ-1C Gray Eagle unmanned aircraft, the service announced Wednesday.

Common sensor payload systems are an “electro-optical/infrared/laser designator sensor” used by battlefield commanders supporting force application, force protection, battlespace awareness and “net-centric” operations, according to the Army.

The contract is for CSP systems that include a target location accuracy capability -- a feature that allows for “precision, near-real time engagement with coordinate-seeking weapons by reducing the sensor-to-shooter process from minutes to seconds,” according to the Army’s announcement.

Dennis Teefy, the project director for Sensors Aerial Intelligence, said in a statement Wednesday that this newer version of the CSP has updates that include a better camera with short-wave infrared capabilities, “which will enable better resolution in low light scenarios.”

“It also addresses hardware obsolescence in the current CSP version 2 to ensure sustainment can continue well into the future,” Teefy said in the statement.

This award is an “undefinitized contract action” that came through an existing indefinite delivery/indefinite quantity contract, according to the Army. According to Teefy, the Army used this type of contract because “the current lead time for the Gray Eagle is less than the CSP lead time.”

“By awarding the contract through an UCA, the Army will be able to get the new CSPs onto the Gray Eagle aircraft and field the complete system sooner,” he said.

The Army expects to begin fielding the new systems starting in fiscal year 2027.