Dulles, Va.-based Orbital Sciences Corp. will build seven Coyote supersonic sea-skimming target vehicles for the U.S. Navy under a recently awarded $26.4 million production contract, the company announced Sept. 21.
Orbital began developing the solid-fueled Coyote target missile in 2000 and completed five successful flight tests between 2003 and 2005. The Navy has ordered a total of 96 Coyote target missiles from Orbital to date, 77 of which have been delivered. The company says it has supported 20 consecutive successful operational or test launches, which includes a recent mission for the French navy, the first flight of the Coyote system for a non-U.S. customer.
Orbital manufactures the Coyote vehicles at its launch vehicle engineering and production facility in Chandler, Ariz. Its major subcontractors include Aerojet, which supplies the vehicle’s solid-fuel rocket motor, and Goodrich Sensors & Integrated Systems for the vehicle’s fin actuation systems.
