Army seeks new, less costly anti-drone missile

The U.S. Army wants a new anti-drone surface-to-air missile that it can begin developing by late August, using the Army’s existing Coyote system launchers.

The proposal is part of a Pentagon effort to reduce the cost difference between relatively inexpensive incoming enemy drones and the weapons the U.S. has used to shoot them down. 

The call for the Next Generation C-sUAS Missile (NGCM) project was listed in a Sources Sought Notice/Request for Information for defense and technology vendors, posted Tuesday on the government contracting website, SAM.gov.

The NGCM should be able to detect, track, identify and defeat UAS using some combination of radar, kinetic kill, electronic jamming and electro-optical/infrared to “prevent surveillance or attacks against U.S. and coalition forces,” according to the solicitation.

The weapon should be able to fire from existing Raytheon-built launch systems.

“The missile must be compatible with the Coyote Launcher with minimal to no modifications,” the notice said.

Like many Sources Sought Notices (SSNs), the posting on SAM.gov is intended to gauge industry interest in submitting ideas.

“This SSN does not commit the government to contract for any supply or service,” the posting says.

The Army wants ideas for the system by Aug. 20. If a submission is accepted, the new missile should be ready for field testing by the end of 2027. A selected contractor would be required to build 50 missiles by early 2028.

Along with performance standards, the Army said the new missiles should cost less than $150,000 each based on a possible purchase of 5,000 missiles.

The Iranian Shahed-136 delta-winged drone and its Russian variant, the Geran-2, cost between $35,000 and $50,000 each.

During Iranian counterattacks against the U.S. forces in the Middle East this year, American and allied forces used missiles costing from $1 million to $4 million to intercept the drones.

The cost gap between the target and interceptors used against them has accelerated U.S. efforts to field cheaper alternatives that would still ensure that as many attacks as possible are knocked down before impacting U.S. troops and facilities.

CNN and Reuters have reported that in countering Iranian attacks, the U.S. significantly depleted its stocks of Patriot and THAAD air defense missiles.

Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth posted on X on Wednesday that the reports of anti-missile shortages are “NOT TRUE.”

The SAM.gov posting for the new NGCM calls for ideas for an “extended-range, quick-response missile to defeat Group 2 and Group 3 small Unmanned Aircraft System (sUAS) threat.”

Under the Department of Defense classification of unmanned air systems, Group 2 are tactical drones that weigh up to 55 pounds, fly at less than 250 knots and operate at altitudes below 3,500 feet.

Group 3 drones can weigh up to 1,320 pounds, fly at less than 250 knots and operate at an altitude up to 18,000 feet.

Variants of the new NGCM system would be used from ground mounts and from mobile air defense platforms.

In the Army’s layered air defense concept, the new missile would integrate with the Army’s Coyote C-UAS missile system.

“The Army is looking for NGCM to be produced and integrated into the existing Coyote Launch System to provide extended range, rapid launch time, and reduced time-to-target over current effectors,” the SAM.gov notice said.

Coyote missiles each cost between $100,000 and $150,000, according to prior Army contracts for the missile.

The NGCM system would be part of a spectrum of potential new weapons that also include lasers, microwaves, and other systems that use missiles or high-speed cannons to knock down incoming drones.