Raytheon to Develop Counter UAS Sensors, Effectors for US Army

April 26, 2023

As part of the U.S. Army’s Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System, called LIDS, KuRFS provides advanced 360-degree threat detection, while Coyote low-cost effectors defeat drones. (Image: Raytheon)

Raytheon Technologies was awarded a $237 million U.S. Army contract for Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensors (KuRFS) and Coyote® effectors to detect and defeat unmanned aircraft systems (UAS). The contract includes a combination of fixed-site and mobile systems as well as a quantity of effectors, designated to support the Army's U.S Central Command operations.

In October 2022, Raytheon was awarded a contract to initially equip two Army divisions with its Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor for 360-degree threat detection and Coyote® for low-cost, highly effective UAS defeat. Early in 2023, an additional quantity of fixed site and mobile LIDS systems was awarded to further support the Army’s Central Command operations.

Raytheon describes KuRFS as a 360-degree radar that senses incoming drones, rockets, artillery and mortars. It can cue defensive weapons, and it can be set up within 30 minutes, either in a fixed location or on a vehicle. Coyote is a small, tube-launched UAS that can be flown individually or netted together in swarms, and it is adaptable for a variety of missions including surveillance, electronic warfare and strike. The system will operate up to one hour and is designed for interchangeable payloads, according to Raytheon.

As part of the U.S. Army's Low, slow, small-unmanned aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS), KuRFS provides advanced 360-degree threat detection, while Coyote low-cost effectors defeat drones.

"The KuRFS radar and Coyote effectors effectively detect and defeat unmanned aircraft systems, an increasingly evident and global threat," said Tom Laliberty President of Land Warfare & Air Defense at Raytheon Missiles & Defense. "LIDS is operationally deployed, providing a proven, reliable, and essential layer of defense against enemy drones."

The U.S. Army's LIDS integrates KuRFS and the Coyote family of effectors with Northrop Grumman's Forward Area Air Defense Command and Control system, or FAADC2, and Syracuse Research Corporation's electronic warfare system. Together, these systems create a multi-mission fixed, relocatable, or mobile deployed system that provides a complete extended-range defense solution.

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