Built for rapid response and tactical flexibility, the Coyote family of unmanned aerial systems (UAS) gives US forces a cutting-edge advantage in defeating enemy drones across evolving combat environments.

The Coyote has several variants capable of performing intelligence, surveillance and reconnaissance missions, as well as striking targets and neutralizing enemy drones.

The Block 1 and 1B versions of the Coyote are a small, expendable UAS that can be equipped with blast fragmentation and proximity-fuzed warheads, respectively, to destroy enemy drones.

Weighing in at 5.9kg, the Coyote can be ground launched from a pneumatic tube with a maximum speed of 130km per hour. Each one is 600mm-long with a 1,473mm wingspan and has a maximum speed of 130 km/h.

The Block 2 Coyote, the missile version of the system, is rail launched and has a booster rocket motor and a turbine engine, allowing it to achieve speeds of up to 595km per hour and to respond more quickly to threats.

It can destroy both small and large UAS at an effective range of up to 15km when ground launched, and has a re-attack capability if the target evades an initial hit.

The Block 3 Coyote, which more closely resembles the Block 1 version, uses electronic warfare tools or high-powered microwaves to disrupt enemy drones without physical impact.

It is designed to be recovered, refurbished and reused on the battlefield.

The Coyote Launched Effect Short Range (Coyote LE SR), announced in 2025, is a variant of the Block 2 Coyote that is designed to carry a variety of payloads that can be swapped out.

It offers a multi-launch platform and recoverable, reusable system that can be configured for surveillance and reconnaissance, electronic warfare, signal relay, or as a one-way loitering munition.

Tactical flexibility

Small and expendable, Coyote kinetic and non-kinetic variants are able to defeat unmanned systems of various sizes at longer ranges and higher altitudes than similar class effectors. They can defeat single drone threats as well as swarms.

The Coyote is designed to operate from forward operating bases or vehicles such as the M-ATV and MRZR, providing flexibility in deployment.

Its effectiveness is enhanced when integrated with the Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor (KuRFS), a 360-degree radar system capable of detecting and tracking multiple aerial threats, including objects as small as a 9mm bullet.

This integration forms the backbone of the low, slow, small, unmanned aircraft integrated defeat system (LIDS), the US Army's integrated counter-UAS solution.

Made up of multiple components that ensure the broadest array of detection and defense capabilities, LIDS uses the Coyote as one option for defeating UAS threats.