Raytheon’s Coyote and KuRFS Head Overseas for the First Time, to Qatar and Jordan
Lead: RTX’s Raytheon business said on October 13 that it had won a $729 million contract to supply components of its Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System (LIDS) to the US Army, Qatar, and Jordan. Raytheon described the deal as the first international sale of two of the system’s core pieces, the KuRFS radar and the Coyote interceptor, extending a counter-drone architecture built for US forces into two Gulf-region militaries that have spent much of 2026 under Iranian missile and drone fire.
What Happened
Raytheon announced the $729 million award in an October 13 statement, saying it covers “critical components” of LIDS for three customers: the US Army, Qatar, and Jordan. The company did not disclose how the value splits among the three, what quantities each customer will receive, or a delivery schedule. Janes, which covers the defense sector closely, reported that the US Department of Defense had not separately announced the contract as of its reporting, leaving Raytheon’s own statement as the only confirmed account of its terms.
Tom Laliberty, president of Raytheon’s Land and Air Defense Systems business, said LIDS gives allied forces “a proven and cost-effective layer of defense” and that the company is accelerating production of the Coyote interceptor, which he called a “uniquely scalable, battle-tested solution.” Raytheon’s statement frames the contract as the first time KuRFS and Coyote, as opposed to the broader LIDS program architecture, have been sold to foreign militaries.
The Product/System
LIDS is a US Army counter-drone architecture, built in mobile (M-LIDS) and fixed-site (FS-LIDS) configurations, meant to detect and defeat small drones that are too slow and low-flying for traditional air defenses to handle efficiently. Two components anchor the system: the KuRFS (Ku-band Radio Frequency Sensor) radar, which Raytheon says provides continuous 360-degree detection and tracking of drones, rockets, and mortars; and the Coyote interceptor, a small, radar-guided, rocket-launched effector that Raytheon has repeatedly likened to a disposable, low-cost surface-to-air missile.
The Coyote line has evolved since its introduction. Block 2 is the baseline kinetic variant, combining a rocket-assisted launch with a small turbojet sustainer; outside estimates, not an official Raytheon datasheet, put its range around 10-15 km and top speed in the 220-280 knot range. Raytheon has also fielded a Block 2C+RM variant that swaps the turbojet for a solid rocket motor, which the company says enables faster launches and higher speeds, though it has declined to publish exact figures. Raytheon says the Coyote family has logged more than 600 intercepts across operational US deployments to date; that figure is self-reported, and earlier, now-outdated accounts from 2024 put the combat tally closer to 170, a reminder that the kill count has been a moving target as deployments expanded.
Who Uses It
The US Army has fielded LIDS, including KuRFS and Coyote, since at least 2022, when Raytheon received an initial contract to equip two Army divisions; US Central Command has since drawn on mobile and fixed-site units. Qatar is the first confirmed foreign FS-LIDS customer, a status publicly announced by the White House in May 2025 during a presidential visit to Doha, building on a US government export approval dating to November 2022. Jordan’s involvement is newer and narrower in confirmed scope: the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs approved a Jordanian request for Ku-band multi-function radar systems in February 2026, which Janes assesses is linked to KuRFS, though Jordan’s broader LIDS posture has not been detailed publicly. The United Arab Emirates has a separate, larger FS-LIDS approval from March 2026 valued at roughly $2.1 billion, but it is not part of this specific October contract.
Export/Procurement History
The timeline behind this week’s announcement stretches back several years. In November 2022, the State Department approved a Qatari request for 10 FS-LIDS fire units and 200 Coyote Block 2 interceptors, an package later estimated at roughly $1 billion; Janes notes that this FS-LIDS configuration, as architected for Qatar, has relied on sensor and command equipment from SRC Inc. rather than Raytheon’s own KuRFS. In May 2025, the White House used a Trump visit to Doha to publicize a $1 billion Raytheon agreement naming Qatar the first FS-LIDS export customer. Jordan’s paper trail is thinner: the February 2026 KuMRFS approval is the only confirmed government notification tied to this program ahead of the October 2026 contract. The October 13 award is the first instance Raytheon has characterized as an export specifically of the KuRFS radar and Coyote interceptor themselves, a distinction the company’s own language draws against the earlier, SRC-architected FS-LIDS deal.
Global Competitors
Raytheon is not alone in chasing Gulf counter-drone demand. Israel’s Iron Dome and C-Dome systems, already combat-tested against drone and rocket fire, compete for regional interest, as do shorter-range systems from European and Turkish suppliers. Turkey’s ASELSAN has pitched electronic-warfare and gun-based counter-drone systems to Gulf and African buyers, and Russian systems such as the Citadel-series guns have appeared at regional arms shows, including in Egypt and Azerbaijan, within the past month. Chinese manufacturers, including CETC and Norinco affiliates, have also marketed layered counter-UAS packages to Middle Eastern and African customers, often undercutting US systems on price if not on combat pedigree. Raytheon’s pitch rests heavily on the “battle-tested” framing of a system with genuine US and allied operational use, a credential few rivals can match in full.
Why It Matters
The timing is not incidental. Jordan and Qatar were both targeted repeatedly in 2026 as the US-Israel-Iran conflict widened into direct strikes on Gulf and Levant states. Jordanian forces reported intercepting missiles and drones launched from Iran over multiple nights during the year, and an August 31 Iranian strike reportedly hit Jordan’s King Hussein and Al Azraq air bases, both of which host US personnel, in what Tehran described as retaliation for a US strike days earlier. Qatar, for its part, has said its forces intercepted missile and drone volleys with no reported casualties or damage, part of a broader pattern of Iranian strikes across Arab states tracked over the year. Against that backdrop, a confirmed, named order for genuinely combat-proven interceptors and radar, rather than another approval still working through the US foreign military sales pipeline, signals that both governments see persistent drone and missile threats as a standing requirement rather than a one-off crisis response. For Raytheon, converting years of pending FS-LIDS approvals into an actual signed, if modestly sized, export contract for its flagship sensor and interceptor products is also a commercial marker in a counter-drone export market that has grown crowded.
What Happens Next
Raytheon has not published delivery schedules for any of the three customers, and the Pentagon’s own contract notice, which would typically clarify the US Army’s share, had not appeared separately as of this report. Watch for a formal Department of Defense contract announcement to fill in the value split and quantities, and for whether Jordan’s portion expands beyond the KuRFS radar approved in February into a fuller FS-LIDS or M-LIDS package. Raytheon has also signaled it is scaling Coyote production and continuing development of the rocket-powered Block 2C+RM variant, which could feature in follow-on orders from either customer if the October contract proves to be a first tranche rather than a complete buy.
FAQ
What is the LIDS counter-drone system?
LIDS, the Low, Slow, Small Unmanned Aircraft Integrated Defeat System, is a US Army architecture for detecting and destroying small drones, built around Raytheon’s KuRFS radar and Coyote interceptor in both fixed-site (FS-LIDS) and mobile (M-LIDS) configurations.
What exactly did Qatar and Jordan buy in this contract?
Raytheon’s October 13 statement says the $729 million contract covers unspecified “critical components” of LIDS for the US Army, Qatar, and Jordan, without breaking out value, quantities, or which specific hardware each country receives.
Is this Qatar’s first counter-drone purchase from Raytheon?
No. Qatar’s FS-LIDS acquisition dates to a November 2022 US export approval and was publicized as a roughly $1 billion deal in May 2025; this October’s contract is instead the first sale Raytheon attributes specifically to its KuRFS radar and Coyote interceptor as exported products.
Why do Jordan and Qatar need these systems now?
Both countries reported repeated Iranian missile and drone attacks during 2026 amid the wider US-Israel-Iran conflict, including an August strike Iran said targeted US-linked bases in Jordan, giving both governments an active, continuing rationale for layered counter-drone defenses.
How does the Coyote interceptor actually destroy a drone?
The Coyote is a small, expendable, rocket-launched interceptor guided by the KuRFS radar; Block 2 variants use kinetic (ramming/warhead) effects to down a target drone, while Raytheon has also fielded non-kinetic and newer rocket-motor variants with undisclosed performance figures.
Sources
- RTX, “RTX’s Raytheon awarded $729 million in counter-drone contracts for U.S., Qatar, and Jordan,” October 13, 2026 — primary company announcement of the contract and executive quotes. rtx.com
- Janes, “RTX announces first LIDS contract for Jordan and Qatar,” October 2026 — independent trade-press confirmation and context on prior approvals, including the February 2026 Jordan KuRFS approval and the 2022/2025 Qatar FS-LIDS history. janes.com
- Overt Defense / Janes, coverage of the November 2022 US approval of a $1 billion FS-LIDS and Coyote Block 2 package for Qatar. overtdefense.com
- The War Zone (TWZ), reporting on Coyote Block 2C+RM rocket-motor variant development and disclosed/undisclosed performance details. twz.com
- English-language reporting on 2026 Iranian strikes affecting Jordan and Qatar, including Jordanian military statements on intercepted drones and the reported August 31 strikes on Jordanian air bases. en.wikipedia.org, qna.org.qa
