Raytheon, a division of RTX, downed multiple drones simultaneously at a U.S. Army exercise using a Coyote Block 3 Non-Kinetic interceptor, the company told Axios.
Why it matters: The drone-counter-drone conversation is red-hot.
- It’s stoked by the Pentagon’s Drone Dominance initiative, the Joint Interagency Task Force 401, Ukraine’s stunning Spiderweb operation and security concerns surrounding stateside events like the Super Bowl and World Cup.
Driving the news: In footage shared with me, the Coyote zips past enemy drones; they almost immediately tumble out of the sky. There is no physical contact between the different aircraft, nor are there explosions or fireballs.
- The Coyote then lands in a net for recovery and reuse.
- The company knocked out at least 10 drones, including Group 1 and 2, during the Operation Clear Horizon trials in October.
What they’re saying: “Coyote Block 3NK provides two key advantages,” Tom Laliberty, Raytheon’s president of land and air defense systems, told Axios.
- “One, the system minimizes collateral damage by using a non-kinetic effect, and, two, it provides a cost-effective option to clear airspace of cheap, commercially available drones that adversaries are using to threaten, spy on and attack U.S. and allied forces.”
Follow the money: This version of the Coyote was included in the company’s largest counter-drone contract to date, awarded in September as part of the Army’s Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) program.
What’s next: Raytheon anticipates “significantly” increased production “across the Coyote family” this year, according to Laliberty.
- He declined to disclose specific figures.
