The U.S. Army recently completed a defense demonstration against a drone swarm at the Yuma Proving Ground in Arizona. The "Coyote" Block 3 drone developed by Raytheon Company was able to shoot down multiple incoming drones in groups with just one "invisible electromagnetic strike", providing verification for the use of reusable drones carrying electromagnetic weapons to replace expensive explosive interceptors.
On modern battlefields, small drones are cheap and easy to deploy in large numbers. However, traditional air defense weapons, which are based on the premise of destroying one target with one launch, not only cost hundreds of thousands or even hundreds of thousands of dollars per shot, but are also limited in quantity and can easily "run out of ammunition and food" in the face of large-scale saturation attacks. This test centered on the US military's "Low-Slow Small UAV Integrated Defeat System" (LIDS), simulating the approach of about 10 UAVs from different directions. The supporting Ku-band radar was responsible for detection and tracking tasks. The "Coyote" was responsible for locking the target, making independent decisions and implementing interception to test the overall effectiveness of the system in a stressful environment.
"Coyote" Block 3 is the third generation modification of Raytheon's "Coyote" platform, which has evolved from reconnaissance to kinetic energy interception to energy weapons. The first-generation "Coyote" uses electric propulsion and folding pop-up wings, and is mainly used for battlefield reconnaissance; the second-generation uses a small turbojet engine and is equipped with four control surfaces, transforming the UAV into an interceptor that destroys enemy UAVs through direct impact and explosion. The latest Block 3 retains the turbojet power and flight performance of the second generation, but removes the warhead and instead carries electromagnetic energy weapons. It is also designed to be captured and recovered through a net bag after the mission is over for reuse.
The specific type of weapon carried by Block 3 is still confidential, but it is widely speculated that it may be a high-power microwave (HPM) system or a set of advanced electronic warfare (EW) equipment. High-power microwave weapons emit strong electromagnetic pulses in a directional manner, instantly injecting high-voltage current into the target circuit, causing the electronic components to "burn out" and causing the drone to immediately fall out of control. In comparison, the electronic warfare system is more "covert" and interferes with and disrupts the command link, causing the drone to lose its effective ability to move when the control signal is "paralyzed by electric shock".
Similar electromagnetic weapons have been tested on ground platforms and large carrier aircraft before, and the significance of the "Coyote" Block 3 is to miniaturize this type of system and install it into a relatively compact drone, so that it can exert a more efficient killing or suppressing effect in a close environment close to the incoming group. Although its specific range, speed and ceiling are still confidential information, officials stated that the aircraft has the ability to effectively intercept the second and third category UAV targets defined by the US military, and can serve as a node in the forward area air defense command and control network to participate in information sharing and firepower coordination.
In addition, multiple "Coyotes" can coordinate operations through the network, automatically assign targets, optimize the attack sequence without manual real-time intervention, build favorable interception positions based on the threat situation, and simultaneously carry out parallel attacks on multiple batches of hostile drones. Compared with traditional interceptors that lose the entire missile body and sensors at once every time it is launched, the Coyote Block 3 only needs to replenish fuel and batteries after completing its mission before it can be dispatched again, which is expected to significantly reduce the overall combat cost.
"Coyote provides a cost-effective defense solution for one-on-one and swarm drone attacks," said Tom Laliberty, president of Raytheon's Land and Air Defense Systems Division. He emphasized that companies will continue to invest in improving the capabilities of this system that has been proven in actual combat to ensure that the United States and its allies can gain substantial battlefield advantages by relying on relatively cheap and efficient electromagnetic interception methods when facing increasingly complex drone threats.