Northrop Grumman has received a $127.3m firm-fixed-price contract for the production of GQM-163A Coyote Supersonic Sea-skimming Targets (SSST).
The contract, managed by the US Naval Air Systems Command in Patuxent River, Maryland, covers Full Rate Production Lot 18.
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Northrop Grumman will deliver 28 SSST vehicles, along with related support and administrative data.
The targets are intended for the US Navy, the government of Japan, and the government of South Korea.
The work will take place across several locations, with 53% in Camden, Arizona, 31% in Chandler, Arizona, 6% in St. Petersburg, Florida, 4% in Oconomowoc, Wisconsin, 4% in Montville, New Jersey, 1% in Manassas, Virginia. The remainder will be distributed among other minor sites in the US.
The project has a completion target of August 2030.
Funding sources include $58.6m from fiscal 2026 Navy weapons procurement funds, $9.7m from fiscal 2025 funds, and $9m from Foreign Military Sales funds.
All funds are allocated at the contract’s outset and will not expire during the current fiscal year.
The GQM-163A Coyote serves as a threat-representative target vehicle for testing ship anti-cruise missile defences with the US and allied navies.
Its design incorporates a solid-fuel, air-breathing ducted rocket propulsion system within an 18 feet (ft) airframe measuring 14 inches in diameter.
According to information available on Northrop Grumman, the vehicle attains speeds above Mach 2.5 at an altitude of 15ft over the ocean surface and can perform manoeuvres exceeding 10g acceleration.
The “High Diver” variant is capable of reaching altitudes over 50,000ft before descending towards its target at near-hypersonic speeds.
Northrop Grumman supports the programme through management, systems engineering, integrated logistics, production, system integration, research and development activities, as well as test and evaluation for fleet training and flight-testing exercises.
Since 2000, Northrop Grumman has produced over 180 Coyote target vehicles under contracts awarded by Naval Air Systems Command.
Over the two decades, Northrop Grumman has received 17 full-rate production contracts for these targets.
