Doc's "Coyote"

(GQM 163 Coyote)

The Coyote is the US Navy's newest target drone. The most unique aspect of it are the ram ducts. These ducts direct air into the solid rocket motor. This allows the motor propellant to be formulated with less oxidizer/more fuel. More fuel in the same size rocket motor provides a longer burn. More on the actual rocket can be found below in the press release. 

Two sets of fins on sustainer version		One set of fins on sustainer version
The pictures above are the only data I had to build this project. It is actually one of a few variations of the sustainer that Orbital Sciences has "played with" before the actual finished version is completed. Some versions have 4 tunnels, some have two. The shape and design of the ram ducts have morphed considerably  and even the number of fins have been experimented with. I have taken what I think are the best aspects from the different versions. I still don't know what configuration the production version will be. Rock Sim Files  With Ducts Without Ducts A couple of pictures for the TRA listserve guys. This is after two flights. Just a little "smut" on the bulkhead, nothing on the paint.   First flight - April 05 The flight had a perfect boost but the sustainer over pressurized just after ignition. VIEDO-2meg (Pictures by Dan Michael)   Second flight - NERRF 2005 L1300BB to a K560 red motor - this was a perfect flight with booster separation at 1,200'. The sustainer went on to 4,700'.   Pictures by Izzy   Pictures by Dan Michael Lift off Cleared the tower Boost Separation at 1,200'   The Build
Sustainer
Bottom front of a ram duct	Detail of Fin slot	Whole ram duct	Glass inside
Ram Ducts Drawing	Fin Alignment	Fins attached	Sustainer with manacle attached
	Looking Down Assembly	Detail of rail button mounting block	3-D Rendering of airflow using CFD software. (Static)
Booster
			Booster electronics bay Drawing
	Booster fins attached	Booster electronics bay (Manacle)
Booster electronics	Back of Booster electronics	Aft end of Booster Electronics Bay (Bulkhead removed)	Same View Showing Electronics Placement
Aft end of Booster Electronics Bay	Same View Showing Shock Cord Placement	Tether assembly for booster section

Sustainer Length 8' 2"

Length with booster 13' 4"

Sustainer Weight 25 lbs

Weight With booster (Dry) 45 lbs

Electronics used for the project:

G-Wiz LC Deluxe 400

G-Wiz LC Deluxe 800

Perfect Flight MiniALT WD

Transolve P6K

Transolve P6 Air-Start Board

Below is the press release that got me hooked on this rocket.

Dulles VA (SPX) May 20, 2004
Orbital Sciences said Tuesday that it successfully flight-tested the GQM-163A "Coyote" Supersonic Sea-Skimming Target (SSST) system for the United States Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) on May 18, 2004 .

The flight test, conducted at the Navy's missile test range in southern California, is part of a series of flights Orbital will conduct under the company's SSST Engineering and Manufacturing Development (EMD) contract from NAVAIR.

Orbital was awarded the EMD contract in 2000 to meet the Navy's requirement for an affordable SSST to simulate supersonic anti-ship cruise missiles for fleet training and weapon systems research, development, test and evaluation.

The GQM-163A Coyote target missile design integrates a four-inlet, solid-fuel ducted rocket ramjet propulsion system into a compact missile airframe 18 feet long and 14 inches in diameter.

Ramjet supersonic takeover speed is achieved using a decommissioned Navy MK 70 solid rocket motor for the first stage. Rail-launched from Navy test and training ranges, the highly maneuverable GQM-163A Coyote achieves cruise speeds of Mach 2.5+ following the separation of the MK 70 first-stage booster. The range of the target vehicle system is approximately 50 nautical miles at altitudes of less than 20 feet above the sea surface.

The flight test of the GQM-163A Coyote had several primary objectives, all of which were achieved. They included verification of booster ignition and stable first stage flight; the verification of the transition of the ducted rocket ramjet from booster separation to inlet start; and the verification of the ducted rocket ramjet ignition and powered flight performance.

In addition, the test target missile was heavily instrumented in order to collect flight environment data to refine aerodynamic and guidance mo del s in preparation for follow-on guided flight tests to be carried out later this year.

Mr. Ron Grabe, Orbital's Executive Vice President and General Manager of its Launch Systems Group, said, "We are extremely pleased with the results of this flight test of the GQM-163A Coyote. The test results provide our team with valuable data as we prepare for other flights later this year and progress toward the del ivery of production units in late 2004."

The GQM-163A Coyote flight test represented a significant milestone for the American aerospace industry: the first successful U.S. flight of solid-fuel ducted rocket ramjet. It also was the first successful flight test of a new domestic ramjet missile configuration in over ten years.

Orbital is the only U.S. Department of Defense prime contractor to be both developing and operating ramjet-powered missile systems. In addition to developing the GQM-163A Coyote, Orbital provides the Navy with launch services for the MQM-8 VANDAL SSST. The MQM-8 VANDAL is based on the liquid-fuel ramjet-powered Talos missile and provides the Navy with a legacy SSST until the more capable GQM-163A Coyote is operational.

Orbital is developing and manufacturing the GQM-163A Coyote at its launch vehicle engineering and production facility in Chandler , Arizona . Orbital's major subcontractors include Aerojet Corporation in Gainesville , Virginia and Sacramento , California for the solid-fuel ducted rocket motor and Cei in Sacramento , California for the vehicle's avionics system.