The GQM-163 Coyote is a supersonic sea-skimming missile target built by Northrop Grumman[2] (formerly Orbital ATK) and used by the United States Navy as a successor to the MQM-8 Vandal. Orbital's proposal was chosen over the MA-31, a joint venture between Boeing and Zvezda-Strela. Orbital was awarded the development contract for the Coyote SSST in June 2000.
| GQM-163 Coyote | |
|---|---|
 A GQM-163A Coyote test launch in May 2004. | |
| Production history | |
| Manufacturer | Northrop Grumman (formerly Orbital Sciences) |
| Specifications | |
| Length | 18.4 ft (5.62 m) without booster, 31.4 ft (9.56 m) with booster |
| Diameter | 14 in (35 cm), booster: 18 in (46 cm) |
| Propellant | Aerojet MARC-R-282 solid-fueled ducted rocket/ramjet engine |
Operational range | 45 nmi (52 mi; 83 km) [1] |
| Flight ceiling | 55,000 ft (17,000 m) |
| Flight altitude | Sea-skimming: 30 ft (9.1 m) cruise phase, 15 ft (4.6 m) terminal phase |
| Boost time | Hercules MK 70 solid-fueled rocket |
| Maximum speed | Mach 3.0-4.0 at 5,000–55,000 ft (1,500–16,800 m), Mach 2.6 at 15–30 ft (5–9 m) [1] |
The Coyote is launched by a Hercules MK-70 booster, of similar design to those used by the obsolete RIM-67 Standard ER missiles. After the booster stage is expended the missile switches to an Aerojet MARC-R-282 solid-fuel rocket/ramjet engine for sustained flight. [3][4][5]
In July 2018, Orbital Sciences Corp was awarded a US$52m modification to its existing contract, for 18 Lot 12 targets plus some Foreign Military Sales.[6]
Operators
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References
edit- ^ a b "Home" (PDF). Archived from the original on 2016-10-19. Retrieved 2023-04-06.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link) - ^ "Northrop Grumman wins potential $250M Navy contract". Virginia Business. 2020-12-22. Retrieved 2021-01-04.
- ^ "Air Defense: Aster Slays The Russian Dragon". www.strategypage.com.
- ^ "Orbital Sciences GQM-163 Coyote". www.designation-systems.net.
- ^ "GQM-163 SSST: A Tricky Coyote to Match Wits With Defenses". Retrieved 2010-08-17.
- ^ Orbital tapped for Coyote supersonic sea skimming targets for Navy, Stephen Carlson, SpaceDaily.com, 2018-07-03
- ^ "ANZAC upgrade completes final acceptance trial".
- ^ "Latest GQM-163 SSST contract includes first sale to Japan". Janes.com. 2014-10-13. Archived from the original on 2014-10-18.