Raytheon demos Coyote Block 3 against drone swarms

Raytheon has conducted a demonstration with the Coyote Block 3 non-kinetic variant of its Coyote C-UAS interceptor. Countering drone swarms is a core requirement for force protection, and the field is shaping up to include a lot of different options.

By Sam Cranny-Evans, published on February 12, 2026.

Raytheon has demonstrated its Coyote Block 3 Non-Kinetic counter-UAS interceptor and its ability to counter drone swarms, according to a February 11 press release. “The system defeated drone swarms launched during the exercise and demonstrated exceptional launch, flight, intercept, and recovery capabilities,” the press release states.

A video released by the company shows the Coyote flying past several different drones in the Class 1 and 2 categories. This likely means it was used to intercept drones that might typically be used for long-distance reconnaissance, as well as smaller commercial drones.

The defeat mechanism is a little unclear, however, and Raytheon does not clarify what the Coyote Block 3 uses to bring drones down. What is clear from the video is that the drone does not make contact with its targets, nor does it explode.

In most instances, it simply seems to pass them by. So, how is the Coyote doing? It seems likely that it uses some form of electromagnetic energy to destroy the target’s internal circuitry. From the footage of the system being recovered, it does not appear that anything has changed that could indicate an explosive or projectile was used. 

Calibre comment: US counter-UAS efforts

The demonstration was conducted for the US Army and follows on from a recent contract award for the LIDS programme: LIDS stands for Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System. It comes in a number of configurations and uses the Coyote as well as Raytheon radars as well as other capabilities to detect and defeat drones. But LIDS is not alone, the US forces have a range of C-UAS efforts underway. From them, it is clear that defeating swarms is an area of concern. The Leonidas system has recently demonstrated a similar capability, for example. However, there is also interest in the Bumblebee, which is being procured to intercept autonomous drones, according to the US Army.

One thing to bear in mind with these demonstrations is that the “drone swarms” are often static, hovering in the air within the weapon’s field of view. This is probably fine during a demonstration, it shows that a large number of drones can be intercepted at once. But in a live scenario, they would more than likely be moving in different directions in a bid to overwhelm an air defence system – assuming true swarming capabilities can be realised. You can read more on other US C-UAS efforts as well as the recent Coyote counter-drone contract below:

• $5 billion contract to Raytheon for Coyote interceptor – Calibre Defence 

• Bumblebee drone to bolster US counter-UAS capabilities – Calibre Defence 

• Epirus zaps fibre-optic FPV with Leonidas microwave weapon – Calibre Defence

The lead image shows the non-kinetic Coyote Block 3 shortly after launch as its wings fold out. Credit: Raytheon.