MQ-25 office considering Army system for 'sense and avoid'

The Navy is considering using the Army's Ground Based Sense and Avoid system onboard the carrier-based, unmanned aerial tanker MQ-25 Stingray, according to a service official.

The program office is "exploring options for a ground-based sense and avoid (GBSAA) system to support MQ-25 fleet operations in the national air space under federal aviation regulations," MQ-25 Program Manager Capt. Chad Reed told Inside Defense in a statement Monday.

"One system being considered for use at various [continental United States] locations is the U.S. Army's GBSAA managed by the Unmanned Aircraft Systems Project Office," he continued.

An inactive Army solicitation from this summer described GBSAA as a system to provide situational awareness to unmanned aircraft operators and used by the Army since 2016 on the Gray Eagle program.

"The current system is commonly located in the Gray Eagle hanger and operated by a dedicated GBSAA operator who stays in communications with the Aircraft Operator (AO), but has also been used with Air National Guard pilots directly monitoring the system displays inside the Ground Control Station," according to the Army's solicitation.

GBSAA is also used by the Air National Guard to transit the MQ-9 Reaper, according to the solicitation.