As the proliferation of drones over the modern battlefield continues, so do efforts to counter threats of "swarms" being made up of dozens or more of such air vehicles (particularly the more agile quad-rotors). The Raytheon "Coyote" has been developed for that very purpose as an expendable, portable anti-drone system and the series is being acquired by the United States Army for service entry before the end of 2018. Beyond its stated over-battlefield value, the Coyote system is touted with traditional UAS qualities such as threat assessment, damage assessment, targeting, and surveillance - all offered in real-time.
The swarm concept is dubbed "LOCUST" standing for "LOw-Cost Uav Swarm Technology".
Tests conducted in 2016 revealed the Coyote's ability to reach a target area, in formation, through autonomous networking after being launched as a swarm (from MLRS-style launcher packs). In 2017, six vehicles were successfully used to collect data on Hurricane Maria by the National Oceanographic and Atmosphere Administration (NOAA). This "mini-swarm" entered the hurricane and faced wind speeds in excess of 100 miles per hour. So beyond its military value, the Coyote certainly has scientific and humanitarian capabilities for those interested customers.
Much like an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM), the Coyote is tube-launched and carries an integral seeker and warhead. It has a mission endurance window of about one hour and its mission payload is variable to meet the threat and battlefield need. The fuselage is slab-sided with a rounded frontal section. The wing mainplanes are straight appendages mounted over the frontal section while the horizontal tailplanes are fitted low and well-aft along the fuselage. A pair of vertical tail fins are used for the needed control. All of the wing planes are spring-loaded and come into action post-launch - allowing the air vehicle to remain in a compact form during transport. At the extreme rear of the vehicle is a two-bladed propeller unit offering the needed propulsion.
Note: The above text is EXCLUSIVE to the site www.MilitaryFactory.com. It is the product of many hours of research and work made possible with the help of contributors, veterans, insiders, and topic specialists. If you happen upon this text anywhere else on the internet or in print, please let us know at MilitaryFactory AT gmail DOT com so that we may take appropriate action against the offender / offending site and continue to protect this original work.
July 2018 - The United States Army has committed to the purchase of an undisclosed number of Coyote air systems for use in the counter-drone defense role.
(OPERATORS list includes past, present, and future operators when applicable)
✓Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (ISR), Scout
Surveil ground targets / target areas to assess environmental threat levels, enemy strength, or enemy movement.
✓Unmanned Capability
Aircraft inherently designed (or later developed) with an unmanned capability to cover a variety of over-battlefield roles.
Length
3.0 ft (0.91 m)
Width/Span
4.9 ft (1.50 m)
Empty Wgt
11 lb (5 kg)
MTOW
13 lb (6 kg)
Wgt Diff
+2 lb (+1 kg)
(Showcased structural values pertain to the base Raytheon Coyote production variant)
Installed:
1 x Electric motor driving power to a two-bladed propeller unit arranged at the back of the fuselage in "pusher" configuration.
(Not all ordnance types may be represented in the showcase above)
Coyote - Base Series Name.
General Assessment
Firepower
Performance
Survivability
Versatility
Impact
Values are derrived from a variety of categories related to the design, overall function, and historical influence of this aircraft in aviation history.
Overall Rating
The overall rating takes into account over 60 individual factors related to this aircraft entry.
28
Rating is out of a possible 100 points.
Relative Maximum Speed
Hi: 100mph
Lo: 50mph
This entry's maximum listed speed (63mph).
Graph average of 75 miles-per-hour.
City-to-City Ranges
NYC
LON
LON
PAR
PAR
BER
BER
MOS
MOS
TOK
TOK
SYD
SYD
LAX
LAX
NYC
Raytheon Coyote operational range when compared to distances between major cities (in KM).
Max Altitude Visualization
Design Balance
The three qualities reflected above are altitude, speed, and range.
Aviation Era Span
Showcasing era cross-over of this aircraft design.
Unit Production (50)
50
36183
44000
Compared against Ilyushin IL-2 (military) and Cessna 172 (civilian).
Ribbon graphics not necessarily indicative of actual historical campaign ribbons. Ribbons are clickable to their respective aerial campaigns / operations / aviation periods.
The "Military Factory" name and MilitaryFactory.com logo are registered ® U.S. trademarks protected by all applicable domestic and international intellectual property laws. All written content, illustrations, and photography are unique to this website (unless where indicated) and not for reuse/reproduction in any form. Material presented throughout this website is for historical and entertainment value only and should not to be construed as usable for hardware restoration, maintenance, or general operation. We do not sell any of the items showcased on this site. Please direct all other inquiries to militaryfactory AT gmail.com.
Part of a network of sites that includes GlobalFirepower, a data-driven property used in ranking the top military powers of the world, WDMMA.org (World Directory of Modern Military Aircraft), WDMMW.org (World Directory of Modern Military Warships), SR71blackbird.org, detailing the history of the world's most iconic spyplane, and MilitaryRibbons.info, cataloguing all American military medals and ribbons.
United States
