On Thursday, March 26, 2026, the U.S. Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR), based in Patuxent River, Maryland, acting on behalf of the Department of Defense, awarded a contract valued at 127,319,699 USD to Northrop Grumman, with a division in Chandler, Arizona, for the production of the 18th full-rate production lot of GQM-163A Coyote missile targets.
Photo: US Navy
The contract covers the delivery of 28 GQM-163A Coyote missile targets, along with associated support and technical and administrative data, for the U.S. Navy, as well as for the government of the Japan Maritime Self-Defense Force (JMSDF, Kaijō Jieitai) and the Republic of Korea Navy (Daehanminguk Haegun).
Work will be performed in Camden, Arkansas (53%); Chandler, Arizona (31%); St. Petersburg, Florida (6%); Oconomowoc, Wisconsin (4%); Montville, New Jersey (4%); Manassas, Virginia (1%); and at various other locations across the United States, each accounting for less than 1%. Completion is scheduled for August 2030.
Funding comes from U.S. Navy weapons procurement funds under the Fiscal Year 2026 National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) in the amount of 58,623,999 USD, as well as 9,676,624 USD in carryover funds from FY2025, and 9,019,076 USD from the Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program for Japan and the Republic of Korea. These funds will be obligated at the time of award, and none will expire at the end of the current fiscal year (September 30, 2026).
It is worth recalling that on March 7, 2024, the U.S. Department of State approved the sale to the Republic of Korea of a package of BQM-177A aerial targets and GQM-163A Coyote missile targets for up to 170.6 million USD. A similar package, valued at up to 113 million USD, was approved on October 25 of the same year for Japan. The former were contracted for production on February 6 of this year.
In the case of South Korea, the contracted targets of both types will be used to certify the armament of the modified second-batch KDX-III-class guided missile destroyers, while in Japan’s case they will support future ASEV (Aegis System Equipped Vessel) destroyers.
The GQM-163A Coyote is a rocket-powered missile target developed by Orbital ATK (now part of Northrop Grumman), which replaced the MQM-8 Vandal targets (derived from the RIM-8 Talos) in U.S. Navy service in 2000.
The Coyote is launched using a Hercules MK-70 rocket booster, similar in design to those used in the RIM-67 Standard ER missiles. After the booster is expended, an Aerojet MARC-R-282 solid-fuel ramjet sustainer engine is ignited to continue flight at ranges of up to 83 km.
The GQM-163 Coyote is designed to simulate anti-ship missiles used by adversaries. In addition to the United States, it has been adopted by the navies of France, Australia, and Japan.