The Navy’s Roadrunner and Coyote Anti-Drone Systems in Development
The Navy will deploy the Ford strike group with two additional missile systems on destroyers, the Roadrunner system and the Coyote system, both specifically designed to target unmanned aircraft.
Small unmanned aerial systems (UAS) have proven to be a serious force multiplier in asymmetric warfare. That fact has been noted as the United States Navy continues to maintain a presence in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden to counter threats from the Iran-backed Houthi militant group.
The Houthis lack anything resembling a modern navy, and their air force can‘t possibly go toe-to-toe with the air wing from a U.S. Navy carrier strike group (CSG).
Yet, the wave of drone and missile strikes has put severe pressure on the U.S. forces. While so far, no U.S. Navy warship has taken damage, it has been a costly endeavor. Further, anti-drone and anti-missile missiles cost thousands to millions of dollars.
It is impossible to price what is needed to protect high-value assets, including the guided-missile destroyers and the nuclear-powered supercarriers. However, this could be an unsustainable war of attrition.
As the Ukrainian-based Defense Express reported, from October 2023 when Washington first deployed warships to the region to respond to the Houthi threat to commercial shipping in the area, and this past winter, “The U.S. Navy expended 220 anti-aircraft missiles,” while “the total cost of these interceptors reached nearly $1 billion, an average of $4.5 million per missile, far exceeding the estimated cost of the cruise and ballistic missiles they targeted, let alone the relatively inexpensive drones.”
However, a solution could be underway, as the U.S. Navy is on track to deploy two experimental systems on its Arleigh Burke-class guided-missile destroyers in the coming months. It is unclear what modifications are being made to the warships or if the anti-drone systems will be integrated into the Aegis combat system.
“We‘re going to be deploying the Ford strike group with two additional missile systems on our destroyers, the Roadrunner system and the Coyote system, both specifically designed to go after UASs,” Adm. Daryl Caudle, commander of U.S. Fleet Forces, told reporters.
It isn‘t clear where the USS Gerald R. Ford will be next deployed or where it will head. Still, the nuclear-powered supercarrier and strike group had been the first CSG sent to the Middle East following the Hamas terrorist attack on southern Israel that ignited the current Gaza conflict. Shortly after, the Houthi militant group began to target commercial shipping in support of Hamas.
The Roadrunner and Coyote: It’s Not Looney Tunes!
The two systems include the Raytheon Coyote Block 2, an expendable loitering munition UAS that can “scan [for] defeat single drone threats as well as swarms,” and Anduril‘s Roadrunner-M, a vertical takeoff and landing counter-drone loitering interceptor.
The Roadrunner-M can “identify, intercept, and destroy a wide variety of aerial threats, or be safely recovered and relaunched at near-zero cost,” Andruil explained.
“Those two systems … are part of that attempt to get after the cost curve, give our commanding officers more options to engage the threat and ultimately be more effective in defending the high-value unit,” Capt. Mark Lawrence, the destroyer squadron commander whose ships will employ the new systems, further stated.
Though both anti-drone systems were developed on land, the U.S. Navy has tested the respective platforms and determined that each can be employed in a maritime environment.
The Coyote interceptor reportedly costs around $125,000 per unit, while each Roadrunner-M costs approximately $500,000.
That is still far higher than the price of the drones, and the U.S. military will continue to explore alternative options, which could include lasers and signal jammers.
Yet, the development of that technology has been slow going, and in the meantime, the Coyote and Roadrunner might be the best solution unless ACME Corporation has something to offer.
About the Author: Peter Suciu
Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer. He has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers, and websites with over 3,200 published pieces over a twenty-year career in journalism. He regularly writes about military hardware, firearms history, cybersecurity, politics, and international affairs. Peter is also a Contributing Writer for Forbes and Clearance Jobs. You can follow him on Twitter: @PeterSuciu. You can email the author: [email protected].
Image: Wikimedia Commons/ NOAA.