亚利桑那州国民警卫队将成为首个配备名为灰鹰25M的无人机系统（UAS）的州。
The Arizona National Guard will become the first state to establish a unit equipped with the unmanned aircraft system, or UAS, known as the Gray Eagle 25M.
根据该飞机制造商通用原子航空系统公司周一的公告，亚利桑那州国民警卫队将在2027年9月前收到八架灰鹰25M，并在2029年底前再收到四架。
According to Monday’s announcement by General Atomics Aeronautical Systems, which manufactures the aircraft, the Arizona Guard will receive eight Gray Eagle 25Ms by September 2027 and four more by the end of 2029.
该公司国防部战略发展副总裁帕特里克·肖特斯利夫称该飞机是“陆军航空团队的重要组成部分”，因为它与先进自主技术和有人旋翼系统紧密协作，以应对威胁。
Patrick Shortsleeve, the company’s vice president of Defense Department strategic development, called the aircraft “an integral part of the Army Aviation team” as it works closely with advanced autonomy and manned rotary-wing systems to outpace threats.
他说：“灰鹰拥有100万小时安全运行的可靠记录，包括自动起降能力。”“考虑到其广泛的能力，灰鹰是一种成本效益高的UAS，在火力、机动、网络和情报行动中表现出色，能够发挥支援作用。”通用原子公司表示，国民警卫队的目标是在其八个步兵师中每个师都建立一支UAS连。亚利桑那州国民警卫队隶属于第40步兵师，该师辖区覆盖另外11个州或领土，司令部设在加利福尼亚州。
“The Gray Eagle has a proven record of performance with 1 million hours of safe operations, including automatic takeoff and landing capability,” he said. “When you factor in its extensive capabilities, the Gray Eagle is a cost-effective UAS that excels as an enabler for Fires, Maneuver, Network, and Intelligence operations.”The National Guard’s goal, according to General Atomics, is to create a UAS company in each of its eight infantry divisions. The Arizona Guard is part of the 40th Infantry Division, which covers 11 other states or territories and is headquartered in California.
该公司表示：“一旦完全投入运作，灰鹰25M可在支援作战司令部（COCOM）指挥官的全球任务中部署，并抵御西半球的威胁。”并补充称，目前国会已为三支灰鹰25M国民警卫队单位提供了资金。
“Once fully operational, the Gray Eagle 25M can deploy in support of global missions for Combatant Command (COCOM) commanders and defend against threats in the Western Hemisphere,” the company said, adding that currently, Congress has funded three Gray Eagle 25M guard units.
灰鹰25M是数十年历史的灰鹰UAS的最新版本，于2023年12月首次飞行。同月，联邦政府向通用原子公司授予了一项3.89亿美元合同，用于开发该系统。
The Gray Eagle 25M, the newest edition of the decades-old Gray Eagle UAS, made its first flight in December 2023. That same month, the federal government awarded General Atomics a $389 million contract to develop the system.
根据该公司的说法，25M中的“M”代表“现代化”，因为该飞机已升级为采用开放架构设计、先进数据链路和更新的推进系统。
According to the company, the “M” in the 25M stands for “modernized,” as the aircraft has been upgraded to use an open architecture design, advanced datalinks and a newer propulsion system.
这些变化提升了其修改能力、抵御电子威胁的能力，并使其比前代型号具备更大的载荷能力和更长的飞行时间。
The changes enhance its ability to modify capabilities, resist electronic threats and provide a greater payload capacity and longer flight time than its predecessor.