Overview
- Raytheon publicly unveiled the Coyote Block 2C+RM on Monday after completing three live rocket‑motor launches and prior static motor firings as part of a roughly 15‑month development effort.
- The new variant swaps the Block 2’s turbojet for a solid rocket motor and pairs that propulsion change with upgraded seeker and warhead work to improve launch response, flight velocity, range, and end‑game intercept performance.
- Raytheon says the 2C+RM is compatible with existing four‑ and eight‑cell Coyote launchers and can be mounted on vehicles, fixed sites, and ships, and the company will keep producing jet‑powered Block 2s while it develops the rocket version.
- The program has begun receiving government sponsorship and plans more tests into the first half of 2027 as it moves toward program‑of‑record consideration, but formal U.S. military procurement contracts specifically for the 2C+RM have not been confirmed.
- The upgrade responds to faster, jet‑driven one‑way attack drones and narrows the gap between low‑cost counter‑drone interceptors and traditional surface‑to‑air missiles, raising questions about cost per shot and how forces will buy and deploy the new variant compared with the roughly $100,000 Block 2 baseline.