Northrop Grumman has secured a $127 million contract from the US Navy to deliver the 18th production batch of GQM-163A Coyote supersonic sea-skimming targets, including 28 systems and associated support for the US and its allies, Japan and South Korea. The majority of the work will take place in Arizona, alongside other US sites, with project completion targeted for August 2030. Since its initial award in 2000, the Coyote has evolved into a cornerstone Navy program and remains the only SSST manufactured in the United States.
The Coyote SSST is engineered to emulate high-speed anti-ship missile threats, providing realistic training for naval defense systems. Powered by a solid-fuel ducted rocket with air-breathing capability, it can exceed Mach 2.5 while maintaining extremely low-altitude flight just above the ocean surface. Its ability to perform sharp maneuvers above 10g allows it to imitate evasive enemy missiles. Additionally, the “High Diver” configuration ascends beyond 50,000 feet before executing steep, high-velocity dives, with advanced avionics enabling the simulation of multiple attack scenarios.
