Advanced Counter-UAS System Approved for International Sales

Advanced Counter-UAS System Approved for International Sales

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The US Army has approved the Coyote Block 2 counter-unmanned aerial system (C-UAS) for Foreign Military Sales (FMS). The system was selected by the US Army for a near-term counter-UAS solution. Equipped with an advanced seeker and warhead, the Coyote-enabled system can successfully identify and eliminate threat UASs.

The Coyote Block 2 C-UAS capability is a rail-launched surface-to-air missile (SAM) being developed by Raytheon for the US Army through the Defense Microelectronics Activity (DMEA).

The Coyote Block 2 is a lightweight solution intended to be fitted on light, fast reaction military vehicles. In May 2019, it was publicly introduced for the first time. A Block 3 variant is planned, with even more capabilities. 

The system is reportedly powered by a commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) turbine engine that takes over from an initial rocket assist boost that gets the Coyote Block 2 C-UAS off the rail. The company reduced the cost-per-kill on each missile by 10% by using a COTS turbine engine instead of a proprietary engine, according to Pete Mangelsdorf, Raytheon Missile Systems program director for Coyote and rapid development programs.

The contract provides analysis, design, development, prototyping, integration, testing, and production of expendable tube-launched UAS to protect against hostile attacks, intelligence gathering, and other malicious activities directed against critical infrastructure, as Juan Santiago, C-UAS product director at the Program Executive Office (PEO) Missiles and Space, part of the US Army Rapid Capabilities Office, told janes.com.