Here’s another small piece of good news as reported by Defense Industry Daily. The Navy has issued a $26M contract for seven production versions of the GQM-163 Coyote Supersonic Sea Skimming Target. This is a supersonic target drone used to simulate the SS-N-22 Sunburn and other supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles. The Navy has been under pressure for many years to come up with a capable drone that can realistically mimic the threats that are out there.
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| Coyote - Supersonic Drone |
Coyote travels at Mach 2.5 and 20 ft above the surface and has a range of around 60 miles. It can also perform supersonic popup and terminal dive maneuvers. The missile is replacing the MQM-8 Vandal.
I've stated in previous posts that realistic training is sorely lacking in the Navy today despite being a potentially tremendous force multiplier. This kind of target drone can be one element of the kind of realistic training so desperately needed. Of course, it needs to be used properly and not simply served up as pre-determined, set-piece exercise that accomplishes nothing.
Nevertheless, this is a step in the right direction. Now, Navy, buy a bunch more!
