Qatar seeks to incorporate Coyote Block II anti-drone system

The US State Department authorized the possible sale of Coyote Block II anti-drone interceptors to Qatar for US$1 billion.

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The Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) reported that the U.S. State Department authorized a possible Foreign Military Sale (FMS) to the Government of Qatar of ten Fixed Site-Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft System Integrated Defeat System (FS-LIDS) and 200 Coyote Block II interceptors.

Also included are unmanned aircraft electronic warfare systems (CUAEWS); Coyote launchers; Ku-band multi-function radio frequency radars (KuMRFS); forward area air defense command and control system (FAAD C2); EO/IR cameras; support and test equipment; spare and repair parts; communications equipment; software delivery and support; facilities and construction support; publications and technical documentation; personnel training and training equipment; etc.

See also: RAF to assist Qatar in providing air protection for the 2022 FIFA World Cup

The total estimated cost of the program is US$1 billion.

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Drone hunting coyote

Developed by Raytheon, it is a small, expendable, tube-launched, unmanned aircraft system. It can be deployed from land, air or ship. The Coyote UAS can be flown individually or networked in swarms, and is adaptable for a variety of missions including surveillance, electronic warfare and strike. The system can operate for up to one hour and is designed for interchangeable payloads.

This latter capability proved useful in developing the Coyote as an anti-drone asset, as it could be equipped with an advanced seeker and a powerful warhead, allowing the Coyote system to successfully intercept and eliminate UAVs.