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The U.S. Army announced a major milestone in its anti-drone capabilities this week, in a test in which the Army used the Coyote BLOCK 3 UAV airborne electronic warfare or directional energy system to achieve the first air-to-air non-kinetic interception of 10 UAVs. In addition to the anti-drone swarm capability, the recovery and redeployment capabilities of the Coyote BLOCK 3 UAV were demonstrated.
1. Test situation
According to a July 21 news release by Raytheon, the Army's Office of Indirect Firepower and Rapid Capability (IF/RCO) held a test at the Yuma Test Site in Arizona, where Thunder's Coyotes BLOCK 3 drone successfully defeated drone swarms using its reusable airborne "non-kinetic effector." In the experiment, the Coyotes attacked and defeated 10 drones of varying sizes, complexity, maneuverability and range, achieving several firsts:
· Air-to-air non-kinetic energy thwart drone swarms;
· In the same scenario, the coyotes are survivable, recycled, refurbished and redeployed;
· Successful launch from the "Coyote" Block 2 system;
·“ Coyote's range engagement and communication capabilities, as well as the Tracking Capabilities of Ku-band radars.
Tom Raleiberti, vice president of land warfare and air defense at Raytheon's missile and defense subsidiary, said the test proved the effectiveness of coyote drones against complex drones, providing the Army with low-cost, reusable, non-kinetic anti-drone swarm capabilities.
2. Coyote BLOCK 3 drone
The Coyote BLOCK 3 is a small tube-launched drone capable of launching from large aircraft and even unmanned submersible vehicles (UUVs) and unmanned surface boats (USVs). While the Army used the Coyotes for anti-drone warfare, initially the type of drone was primarily used as a cruise missile, suicide drone, or low-cost cruise missile.
The Coyote BLOCK 1, which debuted in 2007 with a tail engine, pop-up wings and pop-up V-tail, started as a low-cost intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance platform and subsequently became a testbed for a variety of applications.
The Coyote BLOCK 2 model appeared in 2018 and uses a different form and power system from the BLOCK 1. The BLOCK 2 looks more like a missile, with wings removed; rocket engines + small jet engines; a tail control mechanism that allows it to maneuver in the air; a stay time of 1 hour and a range of 80 kilometers. Both block 1 and BLOCK 2 can be configured as cruise missiles, with the former also being demonstrated as part of the Naval Research Office's Low-Cost Drone Swarm Technology (LOCUST) and the latter procured by the Army for intercepting drones (kinetic energy mode).
The U.S. Department of Defense did not release the details of the Coyote BLOCK 3, but only said in March 2021 that the Coyote BLOCK 3 would be "the baseline for numerous follow-up activities and programs within the Navy, Air Force, and Army." The 2019 budget document shows that the U.S. Department of Defense used the Coyote BLOCK 3 for a "low-cost cruise missile" joint capability technology demonstration (JCTD).
Although the test used only one Coyotes drone for anti-drone swarm combat, previous versions of the Coyotes have been tested in swarm operations, which means that the Coyotes Block 3 will be able to conduct anti-drone swarm operations in the form of swarms.
3. Non-kinetic interception
The Coyote BLOCK 3 uses electronic warfare "jammers" or directional energy such as high-power microwaves to intercept enemy drones, which not only reduce potential collateral damage, but also recover, refurbish, and reuse without leaving the battlefield, so it has an advantage over drones equipped with traditional munitions. Judging by other anti-drone technologies being developed, the Coyote Block 3 may employ a high-power microwave system.
The latest tests of the Coyote drone show that low-cost, tube-launched drones have become the preferred platform for many of the US military's experimental swarm concepts and anti-drone systems.
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