The US Naval Air Systems Command has awarded Northrop Grumman a $57 million contract for the delivery of the new GQM-163A Coyote supersonic sea skimming targets to the US Navy and Japan.
The contract award follows the first tests of the GQM-163A carried out by the navy in September 2019.
Coyote is a supersonic aerial target capable of Mach 2-plus at altitudes ranging from 15-to-52,000 feet. It replicates a family of supersonic sea skimming anti-ship cruise missile threats for fleet training and test and evaluation of ship self-defense systems.
The November 3 contract will see Northrop Grumman deliver 16 target missiles to the US Navy and three to the government of Japan. The company is expected to complete work under the contract by December 2023.
The supersonic Coyote target vehicle is based on a solid fuel ramjet propulsion system that is integrated into a compact missile airframe. Rail-launched from naval test and training ranges, the Coyote has two optional flight trajectories: sea skimmer and high-diver. It was originally developed by Orbital ATK under a navy contract from 2000
