The USN is installing Coyote Block 2 and Roadrunner-M jet-powered loitering munitions, mainly intended for use against UAVs, on its CSG-assigned destroyers.

According to The War Zone’s report, the U.S. Navy has begun installing launchers for Raytheon’s Coyote Block 2 and Anduril’s Roadrunner-M loitering munitions to counter the UAV threat posed by non-state actors like the Houthis.

Currently, the cheapest methods of the U.S. Navy ships against UAVs are guns, which can include the M2 heavy machine gun, Mk45 naval guns with proximity fuse, and small arms. However, the cheapness of guns is susceptible to saturation attacks from multiple directions, as guns can be quickly overwhelmed due to their short range.

However, when a greater range is desired, the job is left to missiles costing at least 10 times what is being thrown at the ship. It is no secret that both the ESSM and SM-2 missiles have price tags well beyond $1 million.

This is where jet-powered loitering munitions optimised to engage UAVs come in handy, with more manageable costs compared to mainstream naval air defence missiles, while having far longer engagement ranges compared to even the Mk45 naval gun.

In addition to longer range, the loitering capability gives the flexibility of having the munitions be kept ready for an interception command, which is something not possessed by an air defence missile.

USS Bainbridge has been spotted carrying a deck-mounted launcher that appears to be a plug-and-play module for Raytheon’s Coyote Block 2. The module also bears resemblance to the LIDS system employed by the U.S. Army, which is a fixed launcher for Raytheon’s missile-like loitering munition.

Coyote Block 2

Coyote Block 2 has been developed as a loitering munition with a small pre-launch cross-section and high speed to engage UAVs. The munition with considerably higher speed compared to an average fixed-wing propeller UAV uses an mmW radar seeker to acquire targets in addition to ground-based radars.

Coyote Block 2 is in use onboard the LIDS air defence system and has also been demonstrated on Moog’s RIwP modular turret to demonstrate interchangeability with FIM-92 or other air defence missiles available.

Roadrunner-M

Anduril’s Roadrunner-M is a considerably larger loitering munition with a profile closer to that of a fighter jet to attain high agility and more loitering performance.

The second difference of Roadrunner-M is its launch method, which uses the thrust-to-weight ratio of more than one for VTOL. The takeoff is performed using a combined storage/launch unit dubbed “nest”. The landing legs allow Roadrunner-M to land on its own. While ground landing is possible, landing on a moving ship for recovery is a big question, especially considering the difficulties posed by the flight dynamics for a nose-up landing.

Finally, Roadrunner-M uses an optical seeker instead of the more complex mmW radar seeker of Coyote Block 2

Author: Kaan Azman

Editor:Özgür Ekşi