Raytheon’s [RTN] Coyote Block 2 counter unmanned aircraft system (CUAS) weapon has been approved by the U.S. government for sale to allied nations as part of the Howler CUAS system, the company said on Tuesday.
The Coyote is a small, expendable, tube-launched UAS that can be deployed from the ground, air or a ship and be flown individually or in swarms. The system is powered by a jet engine and can be used to destroy drones and other aerial threats.
The Coyote was deployed in 2019 by the Army as part of Howler, which includes the small UAS and a Ku-band Radio Frequency System (KuRFS). Raytheon said the high-speed, highly maneuverable Block 2 is designed to use the radar as its fire control source.
Raytheon said it recently completed developmental, operational and customer acceptance testing of the Block 2 variant. Full rate production of Coyote Block 2 is expected this year.
“The KuRFS radar gives soldiers unprecedented vision of individual drones,” Bryan Rosselli, vice president of Raytheon Mission Systems and Sensors, said in a statement. “The ability to quickly and clearly detect, track and discriminate the threat leads to positive identification, and makes Coyote all the more precise in its ability to intercept drones.”