Sly coyote: development of a supersonic US Navy target missile

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Sly coyote: development of a supersonic US Navy target missile

Rocket target GQM-163A immediately after launch. To date, more than 50 combat flights have been committed

Ten years after entering into service, the Orbital ATK GQM-163A supersonic target with extremely low altitude remains unique in its class



Although a simulation environment with a high degree of reliability is increasingly used to simulate countermeasures to guided weapons and predict the characteristics required for this, it is still necessary to conduct full-scale fire tests to demonstrate the capabilities of the system in real conditions. This determines the need for aerial targets that can mimic the kinematic characteristics and the signs of the visibility of probable threats in order to confirm the ultimate combat capabilities theoretically evaluated in the simulated environment.

These targets in many cases are complex unmanned aerial vehicles, which include avionics, engines and control systems and which allow you to present the characteristic parameters of threats in order to fully reproduce the cycle of targeting the tested weapon system and its detrimental effect on the target. However, since these devices are disposable, contradictions always arise between simulation accuracy and cost: achieving the right balance becomes even more problematic when the simulated threat is a low-flying supersonic anti-ship missile capable of performing high overload maneuvers in the final segment of the trajectory.

The American Navy back in the 90s, looking at the decreasing stocks of obsolete MQM-8G Vandal target missiles, began searching for a supersonic sea-skimming target with an extremely high level of reliability and put forward requirements for it in order to provide training fleet and the development of weapons systems, their testing and evaluation. The GQM-163A Coyote missile, developed and manufactured by Orbital ATK at present, has accomplished these goals.

According to Orbital ATK’s tactical and technical specifications, the GQMT63A SSST is capable of withstanding 2,6 speeds of Mach numbers during a cruise flight, then dropping to a minimum 15 feet height for approaching the final trajectory in 10 nautical miles (18 km) during which the aircraft can perform maneuvers up to 12g in the horizontal plane and 5g in the vertical plane while maintaining the speed M = 2,5. In addition, various additional on-board equipment (for example, simulators of threat signatures and electronic suppression kits) can be installed to meet the needs of each individual task. In the world of air targets, Coyote is unique in its class.

Need for aerial purposes

The MQM-8G Vandal program is rooted in the middle of the 70-ies, when the US Navy announced an urgent operational need for a supersonic air target in the run-up to long-term procurement of a fully developed and more functional substitute for a supersonic anti-ship missile. In order to obtain this intermediate system, the fleet reprofiled and modified long-range surface-to-air missiles Talos RIM-8G; Talos liquid rocket with a ramjet engine at the time was in the process of decommissioning the Navy.


Talos-RIM-8G rocket section

In order to meet its needs, the fleet in 1984 gave Martin Marietta a contract for the development of the AQM-127 Supersonic Low-Altitude Target (SLAT) supersonic low-flying target. The SLAT missile was built around a hybrid rocket / jet engine, but the program was closed in 1991 due to technical problems, schedule delays and cost overruns.

In the 1995 year, when in the aftermath of the Cold War, Russia was severely short of money and seemed to want to sell its military assets with everyone, including former adversaries, the US Navy started the FCT (Foreign Comparative Test) program on the supersonic air launch missile MA-31, which was based on the X-31 Soviet air-to-surface tactical missile (NATO code AS-17 Krypton). The MA-31 target missiles were purchased by McDonnell Douglas (later Boeing) through the Russian company Rosvooruzhenie in order to meet the short-term needs of the US Navy for SSST systems. An original EDT (Expanded Demonstration Test) demonstration followed the original program.


Launch of the MA-31 supersonic low-altitude target from the F-4 fighter



Russian tactical guided missile air-to-surface medium-range X-31. (below) X-31 rocket homing head

Command aviation systems of the Navy (NAVAIR), through the office of the program on air targets and traps, signed a contract with Boeing in December 1999 for the supply of 34 MA-31 targets (Boeing previously converted 13 missiles into MA-31 targets under the FCT / EDT program). To convert the X-31 into target missiles, the Russian-American NP Zvezda-Arrow removed the warhead, the seeker and other military components from it. Then the semi-finished products were delivered to the Boeing plant, where they finally became targets due to the integration of the flight termination system, onboard direction finding transmitters and telemetry equipment.

The plans were immense, and at some point Boeing started saying that the US Navy would buy MA-20 target rockets from 30 to 31 per year. However, Russia later curtailed this program, stopping the purchase of additional missiles and in fact reducing technical support to a minimum. By the end of 2007, only three MA-31 air targets remained on the American balance sheet; they were also eventually used during the evaluation tests in December of this year.

NAVAIR was studying the possibility of obtaining and converting Russian-made anti-ship missiles ZM80 Mosquito (NATO SS-N-22 Sunburn), which was supposed to serve as “accessible by means of an American target simulating threats and performing SSST objectives” in accordance with the FCT program. A demand was issued, but as far as is known today, not a single Mosquito specimen has been received as a target missile.

The long-term SSST procurement requirement has remained relevant throughout the 90s, with NAVAIR identifying three specific types of threats classified as Threat A, Threat B and Threat C (the most significant), which it was desirable to imitate. However, the first attempt to reanimate the SSST development program ended in failure in October 1999, when none of the proposed solutions with an acceptable balance of characteristics and cost was chosen.

But soon a new competition was announced. This time, NAVAIR selected a bid from Orbital Sciences, issuing a development contract in June 2000, with an initial value of 34 million dollars. They envisioned the production of six SSST prototypes, ground and flight tests, as well as the provision of these tests plus subsequent production, service and technical support options with a total value of 76 million.


Completion of the EMD-5 phase in April 2005. Experimental target GQM-163A flies over the target ship at speed M = 2,5

Design and Development

The requirements for SSST, promulgated by NAVAIR, provided for the creation of a spent target missile capable of flying at low altitudes with selectable supersonic speeds. In particular, the technical specification provided for a minimum 2 speed of Mach number and maintaining a distance from the surface of less than 66 feet during a cruise flight.

After a cruise of at least 35 nautical miles, the aircraft had to descend to an altitude of 15 feet and perform the last maneuvers during overloads above 11g.

Special requirements were also defined for the effective area of ​​reflection, navigation through intermediate points, special equipment, accuracy of the flight path and the potential for further development of the system.

When designing an SSST target launched from the ground, which later received the designation GQM-163A and the name Coyote, Orbital combined the solid-flow ramjet propulsion technology developed by the VFDR program (Variable Flow Ducted Rocket - rocket ramjet engine with adjustable flow) to the USAF, the remaining components of the guided missiles (especially as regards the launching accelerators from the utilized standard missiles) and ready-made technologies. For example, in the design, development, and production of the original subsystem, including software, autopilot, and avionics integration, components of the existing Raytheon equipment already supplied for the AQM-37D air target were used. In addition, the launch of the GQM-163 was planned with a guide using the existing Talos / Vandal launcher infrastructure.

When implementing the development program, they sought to gradually reduce risks and demonstrate the capabilities of an air target in the light of the requirements for SSST. In particular, there was a need to confirm the choice of direct-flow propeller. Although the fleet, starting from the 60-ies, launched at various times several programs on aircraft and guided missiles with direct-flow engines, none of them reached the production stage.


The GQM-163A target missile was removed at the time of starting the engine on the Vandal launcher on the island of San Nicolas. Solid fuel accelerator Mk 70 is used to accelerate the SSST with a guide rail to enable ramjet engine

In this regard, Atlantic Research Corporation (now Aerojet) was engaged as a subcontractor of Orbital ATK. She took the responsibility to develop a high-speed ramjet engine for the GQM-63A, including an air intake system. Variable speed jet engines under the designation MARC R282, or SABER (Solid Air-breathing Ramjet Engine), use solid fuel with an excess of combustible component. The valve is used to control the speed of the outflow of fuel and engine thrust during flight.

As for the design, the MARC R282 engine consists of a gas generator, four two-dimensional air intakes, a middle part with equipment, a throttling valve and a fuel injector, a combustion chamber and a straight-through nozzle. The engine has a base diameter of 35 cm and a length of 340 cm.

External elements include clips for fastening external cable channels and combustion chamber brackets for actuators of stabilizers and control devices.

The gas generator consists of a steel casing with two separate steel flaps. For mixed charge with face burning, solid propellant with an excess of combustible component ARCADENE 428J is used, which consists of polybutadiene with a terminal hydroxyl group (binder), ammonium perchlorate (oxidizer) and a mixture of fuels.

Air intakes are based on a design previously developed for the Advanced Low Volume Ramjet advanced straight-through engine ALVRJ; This is a 70-s liquid-through ramjet engine, which successfully demonstrated the concept of a rocket / air-jet engine in flight tests. The air intake throat area was transferred from the ALVRJ project to the GQM-163A project, and improvements were made in the throat area and in the diffuser in order to improve performance at low angles of attack. Steel air intakes include openings for removal of gases, a pressure head cavity and a V-shaped diversion device.

The ground tests of the MARC R282 engine determined and confirmed the geometry of the combustion chamber, the chemical composition of solid fuel, the design of the fuel valve and the injector, as well as the allowable levels of engine performance. Engine tests were divided into two parts: tests with a large mass, during which static tests were carried out with different engine operating conditions; and the stage of checking the design with a normal flight mass, during which engine performance and climate tests were carried out.

Static tests of the gas generator were conducted to confirm the combustion characteristics of the fuel, the characteristics of the fuel mixture inhibitor and the reliability of the housing insulation system, the evaluation of the valve drive and thermal insulation parameters, as well as the testing of pressure control software. Additional tests were also carried out at the Aerojet Ait breathing test center in order to document the obtained characteristics and the duration of engine operation under simulated flight conditions.

The MARC R282 engine qualification tests were completed in December 2003. The test facilities consisted of two separate gas generator assemblies and one complete engine assembly. The engine assembly included mass simulators for the actuators of the stabilizers and control equipment, cable channel and assembly of fairings. The set of qualification tests consisted of periodic repetitions of temperature fluctuations, shock and vibration tests and testing of the system’s performance.

In addition to the engine test program, an air intake test program was carried out in a wind tunnel in order to confirm its design characteristics. As for the relatively little-studied gas generator operating on fuel with an excess of the fuel component, hazardous factors were tested, including a bullet hit, detonation transmission through an inert barrier and a shock effect.



The Russian supersonic anti-ship missile 3М80 Mosquito (NATO designation SS-N-22 Sunburn) is one of the threats that the GQM-163A target missile must reproduce.


Direct-flow jet engine PKR P-100 (3М80)

flight tests

The flight test program of the GQM-163A target consisted of two stages. At the first stage, two uncontrolled launches were carried out to determine the parameters of the accelerating stage, the aerodynamic characteristics of the aircraft and to check the transition from the accelerating stage to the work of a ramjet jet engine (the 70 solid-fuel first-stage starting engine launches the GQM-1.63A target missile with a rail and accelerates it to go into supersonic mode).

Following uncontrolled launches from May 2004 to April 2005, five controlled / controlled flight tests were carried out, which received the designation EMD-1 to EMD-5; at the same time, the complexity of flight tests gradually increased. All flights were carried out from the San Nicolas Island test site, which is a part of the Sea Test Site of the Center for Combat Naval Aviation.

EMD-1 tests were performed on 18 on May 2004 of the year. This first controlled flight (noteworthy because it was the first flight of an American rocket with a solid rocket propulsion engine) demonstrated the work of ignition of the starting engine and the stable flight of the first stage. The process of transition to the operation of a ramjet engine from the moment of separation of the starting accelerator to the beginning of the operation of the intake system was also checked, the starting of the main engine and the flight characteristics with the engine running were checked. In addition, the operation of components, inertial and GPS guidance was demonstrated; at an altitude of 300 feet, the aircraft flew at a march speed for a given time and made one turn. Data on the pressure in the air intakes were partially lost during the flight.

27 August 2004 year rocket EMD-2 flew at an altitude of 100 feet, installed a laser altimeter the entire flight was collecting data. The flight mission was fully accomplished: the device performed five horizontal turns with an overload of 5g and several vertical turns with an overload of 4g.

December 14 The third EMD-2004 test flight was carried out with a further increase in the level of complexity. In the course of the cruise, the laser altimeter recorded the height above the 3 foot surface, combined maneuvers with the 30g overload and zigzag flight with the 6g overload were conducted. And this time all the flight missions were completed, including the self-destruction of the device at the end of the flight.

The tests of the EMD-4 were carried out on 24 March 2005, they included a zigzag flight at 15 feet altitude with 10g overload and a combined maneuver at the same altitude with 11,2g overload. All test flight objectives have been achieved. (see video)



The final experimental flight of the EMD-5 was conducted on 22 on April 2005 of the year. The flight program included flying over a moving ship, combined maneuvers (horizontal 12g and vertical 11g), and maneuvers for loading the air intake system.

During this flight, the GQM-163A rocket reached a cruise speed of M = 2,5 while flying over the sea at an altitude of 49 feet and a maximum speed of M = 2,8. She also successfully flew from the launch site over 50 km and passed 20 meters from a moving remote-controlled vessel. The entire flight took about 120 seconds, during which time the rocket flew from its launch site on the island of San Nicolas approximately 100 km. The performance of all flight missions was demonstrated, while during maneuvers a positive safety factor of the air intake system was recorded.

Test flights showed full compliance with the requirements for a ramjet engine MARC R282, no changes were required to its design. According to Aerojet, in-flight engine parameters were very close to predicted values ​​based on ground test results. In addition, the operating parameters of the air intakes during maneuvering corresponded well with the test data in a wind tunnel, and the resulting thrust force corresponded to the data developed for a simulated flight with six degrees of freedom. The final indicator of compliance with the declared parameters of the engine was the range, which almost coincided with the calculated data.

An order for the initial production of a batch of 10 10 GQM-163A missiles was issued to Orbital in November 2001 of the year with an option for a second batch of 10 missiles in April 2005 of the year. Successful flight tests allowed in June 2005 of the year to decide on the start of mass production.

The first combat launch of the GQM-163 Coyote SSST target missile was conducted in October 2005. And just two months before that, the last four targets of the MQM-8G Vandal were used.

A contract for the mass production of 19 targets was announced at the beginning of 2006. According to NAVAIR, there are currently a total of 116 GQM-163A systems purchased (including the first two pre-production batches, 10 serial batches and orders for the arms sales program abroad, but excluding experimental and experimental samples). The contract worth 28,7 million dollars for the 10 st batch was issued in September 2016; it includes five missiles for the US Navy and two for Japan.

Periodic purchases by the US Navy of GQM-163A target rockets are scheduled to take place before the 2023 year. In August 2016, NAVAIR issued a preliminary notice to give Orbital ATK a new contract for the 11 lot with an option on the 12 and 13 lot. A month later, a notice was issued about a planned contract for an 14 party with options for an 15-17 party. In all cases, in accordance with fixed-price contracts, air-launched GQM-163A target missiles will be purchased, with it being assumed that there will be up to 24 systems in each batch. In addition to the target rockets themselves, the corresponding equipment, spare parts, components with a long production time and a maintenance package will be purchased.


The GQM-163A target is capable of implementing a low-altitude flight trajectory to simulate supersonic cruise missiles and a high-altitude flight trajectory to simulate supersonic radar missiles.

Achievement list

The GQM-163A Coyote target missile has now been in operation for ten years, providing testing and evaluation of weapons systems and training of fleet technical specialists.

"53 combat sorties were conducted (without EMD flights), 96% of which were flown according to plan," said Captain Tom Cecil, program manager at NAVAIR command, adding that "GQM-163A continues to exceed performance and reliability expectations." Due to the frequent modification of flight tasks, as well as the inclusion of new functional sets, it proved to be a functionally flexible supersonic target, which retains its value as an important means of testing and evaluation. "

To date, GQM-163A has been certified for compliance with the infrastructure of the San Nicolas Island in California, Hawaii, White Sands in New Mexico, as well as the Ile du Levan Island testing site off the southern coast of France.

Dual launch launchers of the 7 Talos Mk missiles, previously also used to launch Vandal targets, were modified for GQM-163A Coyote launches from four different sites. “These launchers are currently located on San Nicholas Island, Hawaii and New Mexico,” said Cecil. “Although the French test site was also certified, its launchers must return to the United States to meet the fleet’s operational needs.”


The overall layout of the GQM-163A Coyote. The SSST target missile consists of two main subsystems: the solid-fuel accelerator MK 70 and the actual target GQM-163A. A self-explosive system is installed in the nose for emergency flight interruption

The only launch from the Ile du Levan Island test site was held in April 2012. Its purpose was to test the performance of the Principal Anti-Air Missile System of the MBDA company for a low-flying supersonic target.

The contract worth 9,2 million dollars for the purchase of one GQM-163A system and related equipment for France was issued to Orbital in March 2007. The demonstration of the SSST capabilities was scheduled for the 2011 year, but due to some problems at the Ильle du Levan firing range, the target missile flight took place only in April of the 2012 year.

In 2013, the Australian fleet tested missiles at two GQM-163A targets launched from the Hawaiian test site, while the Japanese Institute of Technology conducted a series of five launches at the White Sands test site.


The first presentation of the GQM-163A SSST outside the United States was held in April 2012 of the year at the missile test site located on the French island of Ile du Levan

Phased evolution

Various innovations and improvements have been implemented by NAVA1R and Orbital ATK with the aim of expanding the functional capabilities and improving the tactics of combat use of the SSST system from the moment it was put into service. So, since the end of 2007, the “quick succession” requirement was introduced when two targets are launched with a difference of several seconds.

Another change concerns the GQM-163A kit. Development and production of advanced components, including software, autopilot and avionics (complex avionics) was transferred to Raytheon. The modified GQM-163A avionics is based on the Orbital ATK Modular Avionics Control Hardware (MACH) multi-program system. The on-board computer MACH has a modern, powerful computing core with a real-time operating system and software architecture based on a publicly available object-oriented C ++ application.

All work was carried out in order to solve the problems associated with the obsolescence of the guidance systems and avionics kit. Also, improvements were made to ensure that it was possible to install optional kits that enhance the capabilities of the system. The US Navy took the first target missile in a new configuration in September 2011; and all subsequent GQM-163 targets were already delivered in this configuration.

As expected, the GQM-163A Coyote SSST will play the role of a supersonic workhorse in the US Navy for at least another decade. Indeed, the abolition of the program on a multi-stage supersonic GQM-173A target rocket in 2015 means that in the foreseeable future the GQM-163A will remain in the fleet the only supersonic target with a high degree of confidence.


Rocket Target GQM-163 Coyote

Materials used:
www.shephardmedia.com
www.orbital.com
www.boeing.com
www.rocket.com
www.raytheon.com
www.ktrv.ru
www.wikipedia.org
en.wikipedia.org
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6 comments
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  1. 0
    22 March 2017 08: 26
    These are the places!
  2. mvg
    +2
    22 March 2017 12: 45
    This Europeans, with their Aster'om, shot down this beast in 12 year. After which the Mosquitoes, Granites, Volcanoes, Basalts became morally "obsolete."
    The article is good.
    1. 0
      26 March 2017 00: 18
      One piece was knocked down, but in a real confrontation it will be necessary to shoot down at least 16 pieces.
      1. mvg
        0
        26 March 2017 08: 40
        Yes, I’m afraid that they will not rust. But we really have nothing to shoot down.
    2. +2
      18 August 2017 10: 03
      They didn’t. Firstly, the flight parameters of a downed target are unknown. The fact that the target can imitate our RCC does not mean that it was precisely such parameters that were set during the tests. Secondly, if they were asked, it is not known how the tests were carried out. For example, SM-6 was tested on a passing target, and this is a completely different EPR and reaction time.
      Thirdly, during the tests everyone knows that right now, from there a rocket will fly into us and are ready for this. This does not happen in life. Therefore, talking about the obsolescence of our missiles is incorrect. We can say that if earlier Europeans were completely defenseless before our PKR, now they have something. In general, the presence of a shield gives you great chances to survive in a knightly tournament, but does not guarantee victory and does not make spades and swords obsolete :)
      1. mvg
        +2
        19 August 2017 13: 35
        The "answer" has disappeared. Somewhere request
        He wrote about a certain idiocy when a target rocket really attacks a ship. MRK Monsoon, he himself could have told about this if he had not died. 2 OSA-M SAM missiles hit the target, but could not stop it. total: 39 sailors and a ship in a different reality.
        I do not really believe in the reflection of 16-24 Granites right away, but back in the 80s, the Tomkets hit 5 out of 6 missiles, while 2 missiles imitated the supersonic X-22s. And Aster / PAAMS I consider, along with Aegis and SM-6 the strongest sea Air defense / missile defense.
        Unfortunately we do not have such. I don’t know how to bring down even subsonic Chinese. Carapace-M is not an option, as is unfinished Polyment-Redoubt.

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