Raytheon Coyote 2 test, screen grab from a video released by Raytheon (https://youtu.be/0osofUsbaRc)
The US-led coalition has released footage showing the interception of an unidentified drone that approached its positions in Ayn al-Assad Air Base in the western Iraqi province of al-Anbar late on January 5.
Initially, the Iraqi Security Media Cell claimed that the drone was shot down by Iraqi military air defenses. However, the footage indicate that the drone was intercepted by a state-of-the-art US system, the Raytheon Coyote.
BREAKING
Footage shows US defensive systems engage a “suicide drone” outside Ain Al Asad Air Base early this morning, 6th Jan.
This time it is not C-RAM, it seems that COYOTE Anti Drone System was used to shoot this one down. pic.twitter.com/KlaheYZmgw
— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) January 6, 2022
The Coyote anti-drone system uses a small, expendable, drone to intercept its target. The drone delivers a kinetic effect by crashing into enemy drones or exploding near them and dispersing blast fragments from its warhead. While the Coyote Block 1B drone is powered by an electric engine, the Block 2 drone is propelled by a more powerful jet engine. Both variants are equipped with an active radar seeker and proximity warhead.
The drone that was intercepted by the system was apparently a copy of Iran’s KAS-04. Tehran allies in the Middle East operate several variants of the drone under different names.
More pix pic.twitter.com/SZKHeguVtN
— Nafiseh Kohnavard (@nafisehkBBC) January 6, 2022
Two KAS-04-type suicide drones attempted to attack US-led coalition positions in Ayn al-Assad Air Base on January 4. However, they were successfully intercepted with C-RAM [counter rocket, artillery, and mortar] and AN/TWQ-1 Avenger systems.
The recent attacks on US-led coalition positions in Iraq were most likely carried out by pro-Iranian forces to honor the memory of Abu Mahdi al-Muhandis, Deputy-Commander of the Popular Mobilization Units, and Iran’s Quds Force Commander Maj. Gen. Qassim Soleimani who were assassinated by the US around two years ago.
Surprise, surprise, surprise. Raytheon is still and will always do great business because of the whores they own in Washington, DC. They were the former paymaster of the current gorilla boy US War Secretary Lloyd Austin who was a member of the corporate board. Raytheon received about $1.3 BILLION in new contracts from its whores in just the first four months of 2021. Just business as usual boys and girls.
U.S. copied the short range OSA SAM system
Wonder when 7.62 will be called kinetic mili drone. :)