The destroyer USS Mason and cruiser USS Philippine Sea destroyed the supersonic target GQM-163 Coyote with two SM-2 missiles in seconds

The US Navy has released footage of the destruction of the supersonic target GQM-163 Coyote. The video was shot during an exercise.

Here's What We Know

The footage was shot with an infrared camera. The accompanying information states that the US Navy exercise took place on 27 March 2023 in the Atlantic Ocean near the National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Wallops Flight Facility, Virginia.

The GQM-163 Coyote (pictured below) is a supersonic naval target developed by Northrop Grumman for the US Navy to replace the MQM-8 Vandal. It is equipped with an Aerojet MARC-R-282 solid-propellant engine and can reach Mach 2.6 (3,210 km/h) at 5-9 metres and Mach 3-4 (3,700-4940 km/h) at 1.5-16.8 km altitude. The Coyote has a range of 83km and is capable of reaching 17km into the sky.

The US Navy used at least two Rayhteon Standard Missile 2 (SM-2) interceptors to destroy GQM-163. The missiles were launched by the Ticonderoga-class cruiser USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) and the Arleigh Burke-class destroyer USS Mason (DDG-87). SM-2 struck GQM-163 over the ocean, causing the target wreckage to go underwater.

The USS Philippine Sea (CG-58) and USS Mason (DDG-87) are equipped with the Aegis system. It leverages a combination of software, sensors and weapons to detect, classify, track and defeat threats. In addition, Aegis integrates the flow of information from multiple ships and aircraft to comprehensively counter large-scale attacks.

Source: The War Zone