UAE to start producing US Coyote interceptor drones

The US defence company Raytheon has signed an agreement to manufacture its Coyote jet interceptor drones in the United Arab Emirates.

Here's What We Know

The deployment of Coyote production abroad looks like a significant step, as the US military has only started actively purchasing these drones in 2023. The technology is still being deployed in the United States, but is already being actively used in combat.

The creation of a production base in the UAE may indicate Raytheon's desire to make these systems available to the armies of the Middle East and at the same time consolidate its position in the region's market.

The Coyote family includes several models: Block 1, Block 2, Block 3 and the latest Coyote LE SR. The Block 1 and Block 2 models are designed to destroy targets with a fragmentation warhead, while the Block 3 and LE SR are reusable and capable of performing a wider range of tasks.

They can be fitted with electronic warfare systems, signal repeaters, and optical sensors, which allows them to be used for interception, reconnaissance, targeting, and communication.

Despite Coyotes' positioning as a relatively inexpensive means of countering drones, their price indicates the opposite. In particular, the Coyote Block 2C costs about $125,000 per unit, and reusable versions equipped with high-precision systems are even more expensive.

Source: X