The first generation of Coyote, the Block 1B, is a small, expendable and tube-launched CUAS system which can be deployed from the ground, air or a ship. Coyotes can be flown individually or netted together in swarms, and are adaptable for a variety of missions including surveillance, electronic warfare and strike.
Raytheon was contracted in July 2018 by the US Army for the delivery of an undisclosed number of Coyote Block 1B expendable drones. Paired with Raytheon’s KURFS radar, the system known as Howler can identify and eliminate UAS threats in the skies above the battlefield. In June, the US Army confirmed the Howler system reached the Initial Operational Capability.
In the meantime, the US missile maker has been developing a more advanced Block 2 variant. Raytheon lifts veil on the Block 2 at this year’s Sea Air and Space exhibition in Washington. This improved variant has been designed as « a very low cost missile » adopting a more conventional « missile-style » configuration. The Coyote Block 2 specifically features improved sensors and rocket motors to significantly increase maneuverability.
« For the Coyote Block 2, we are closer to a deployment. We have got several international customers that are very interested. We expect that something to happen in the next year, » a Raytheon representative told Naval News. Funded by the US Army, while the Block 1 was supported by the US Navy, the Coyote Block 2 however exists in a palettised version that « can be put anywhere » (including naval platforms).
Besides the Block 1 and 2, Raytheon is progressing towards a Coyote Block 3 development. The future system will not be a CUAS system anymore but a loitering ammunition variant, said the company representative. « It will look more like the Block 1 than the Block 2, » he added.
