Orbital is a leading provider of short-range targets used in the testing of missile defense systems and for training military personnel in their use. Building on our heritage of providing targets to the U.S. Military, we are currently providing two new short-range targets: the GQM 163A “Coyote” Supersonic Sea-skimming Target and the Short-Range Air-Launch Target (SRALT).
GQM 163A “Coyote”
Orbital is applying its proven design philosophy of high performance, low-cost and off-the-shelf technology for Anti-Ship Cruise Missile (ASCM) targets for the U.S. Navy. The GQM-163A “Coyote” design integrates a solid-fuel, ducted air-breathing rocket propulsion system into a compact missile airframe 18 feet long and 14 inches in diameter. Launched from Navy test and training ranges, this high-performance ASCM simulator achieves cruise speeds of over Mach 2.5 while flying approximately 15 feet above the ocean's surface. The GQM-163A Coyote has entered operational service at the Naval Air Warfare Center (NAWC), Point Mugu, California. GQM-163A Fact Sheet
Short Range Air-Launch Target (SRALT)
SRALT is a flexible, low-cost target vehicle that employs a single stage SR19 rocket motor and incorporates Orbital’s latest avionics package. The rocket is extracted from the rear of the C-17 aircraft by parachute after which the missile’s rocket motor then ignites, sending it on its planned trajectory. Air-launched targets provide more realitic engagement scenarios, allowing the military to better replicate trajectories hostile ballistic missiles could use during an attack of our homeland, our deployed forces or our allies.
