Raytheon’s Coyote drone-killer was first introduced in 2014. Now, the U.S. Army plans to buy thousands of the newest generation.
In a publicly available contracting notice, the Army announced it plans to buy 6,000 of the Coyote Block 2 variants and 700 of the Block 3 variants. The main difference between the two is that Block 2s are kinetic while Block 3s are not.
Put simply, Block 2 is a one-time use drone killer. When launched, it uses a radar seeker to hone in on its target. Once it’s close enough to get the job done, it explodes, hopefully knocking its target out of the sky.
Not much is known about Block 3’s technical specifics yet, however, the “non-kinetic” descriptor would indicate that it can be used to engage multiple targets at the same time, likely using electronic means to take out the target. Unlike Block 2, the Block 3 can be recovered and eventually re-used.
Both versions of the Coyote are fairly mobile. They can be fired from fixed positions, ground vehicles, helicopters and surface vessels. The Army currently uses the Coyote system mounted on a mine-resistant, ambush-protected vehicle, otherwise known as the Oshkosh M-ATV. The Oshkosh M-ATV was the vehicle chosen to ultimately replace the long-serving Humvee.
One benefit of the Coyote is the price. Drone warfare has been a major part of the war between Russia and Ukraine, and even cheap, simply-made drones have to be dealt with. This often comes at the expense of surface-to-air missiles which can cost significantly more than the drone being eliminated. According to multiple reports, the unit price for a Coyote is around $100,000, making it a bargain in comparison.
On top of the new Coyotes, the Army is also picking up 252 fixed launchers, 52 mobile launchers, 118 fixed Ku-band radars and 33 mobile radars.
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