Raytheon Successfully Intercepts Multiple Drone Swarms with Recoverable Coyote Variant

Raytheon, an RTX business, has successfully demonstrated the effectiveness of its Coyote Block 3 Non-Kinetic variant by defeating multiple drone swarms during a U.S. Army exercise.

The demonstration, conducted in Tucson, Arizona, showcased the system’s ability to manage the full mission cycle, including launch, flight, intercept, and recovery. Unlike traditional kinetic interceptors, the Block 3NK variant utilizes a non-kinetic payload designed to disable threats while minimizing the potential for collateral damage. A key feature of this specific variant is its recoverability, allowing the system to be recalled and redeployed for subsequent engagements after a successful mission.

The Coyote platform is designed to Counter-Unmanned Aircraft Systems (C-UAS) across a wide spectrum, addressing both small and large drone threats. Raytheon, an RTX business, produces both kinetic and non-kinetic versions of the effector, which are capable of operating at higher altitudes and longer ranges than other systems in the same class.

Tom Laliberty, President of Land & Air Defense Systems at Raytheon, “Coyote provides warfighters a cost-effective defense for individual drones and swarms. We continue to invest in Coyote’s combat-proven capabilities, ensuring that allies around the globe gain an affordable operational advantage over sophisticated and evolving drone threats.”

This successful test follows Raytheon’s largest ever counter-drone contract award as part of the U.S. Army’s Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) program. To meet increasing global demand, the company has made significant investments in production and performance upgrades. These technical enhancements are focused on increasing launch speeds, overall velocity, and range to ensure the system can keep pace with evolving threats that carry heavier payloads over greater distances.