The US Army announced on 9 February that it has awarded a contract to RTX Corporation subsidiary Raytheon worth USD 75 million (EUR 70 million) for the production of 600 Coyote 2C interceptors in direct support of the US Army’s counter-unmanned aircraft systems (C-UAS) mission.
The contract, which was awarded on 16 January 2024, was part of an Office of the Secretary of Defense rapid acquisition authority that was identified to Congress, with all actions completed in less than 30 days from the authorisation approval and receipt of funding.
The contract supports a Coyote Interceptor demand increase and subsequent need to increase production capacity.
The Coyote is a key component of the US Army’s counter-UAS ‘system of systems’. It is a rail-launched, radar-guided missile, with kinetic and non-kinetic variants, that integrates into both fixed-site and mobile-platform applications to defeat small, low, slow, unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV)/loitering munition threats. The Coyote uses a boost rocket motor and a turbine engine to facilitate high-speed interceptions of both single UAV threats as well as swarms.
This effort was led by the Army’s Program Executive Office for Missiles and Space in partnership with other components across the US Department of Defense.
