TUCSON, Ariz., Jan. 20, 2016 /PRNewswire/ -- Raytheon Company
(NYSE: RTN) is providing its enhanced Coyote® Unmanned Air System
to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration for
hurricane tracking and modeling, giving researchers an
unprecedented perspective from inside storms that build in the
Atlantic Ocean. The Coyote is a small, expendable UAS that can be
tube-launched from a host vehicle on the ground or in the air.
A team of NOAA and Raytheon scientists will use the latest
version of Coyote to monitor the track and intensity of storms. The
team recently completed a successful calibration flight over
Avon Park, Florida, where a Coyote
was launched from a P-3 hurricane hunter aircraft to prepare for
deployment during storm season.
"We've made significant improvements to Coyote. It can now fly
for up to one hour and 50 miles away from the launch aircraft,"
said Dr. Thomas R. Bussing, vice
president of Advanced Missile Systems product line at Raytheon
Missile Systems. "Raytheon technology is playing a key role in
enhancing safety for hurricane researchers, and helping to deliver
vital information about potentially deadly storms to the American
people. Ultimately, that will save lives."
NOAA successfully deployed a Coyote from a hurricane hunter into
the eye of Hurricane Edouard in 2014, and intends to expand use of
the vehicle this hurricane season.
"This successful flight gives us additional confidence that we
will be able to use this unique platform to collect critical
continuous observations at altitudes in the storm environment that
would otherwise be impossible," said Dr. Joe Cione, a hurricane researcher at NOAA's
Atlantic Oceanographic and Meteorological Laboratory and chief
scientist of the Coyote program.
About Coyote
- Coyote is an expendable UAS deployed from an A-size sonobuoy
tube or common launch tube to perform intelligence, surveillance
and reconnaissance (ISR) missions while the host craft remains at a
safe distance.
- Coyote was developed by Sensintel, Inc., which was acquired in
January 2015 by Raytheon Missile
Systems.
- Coyote features:
- Performs surveillance imagery, targeting capability, real-time
damage assessment
- Designed to save lives and reduce operational costs
- Suitable for targeting assistance, perimeter security,
and research missions
About NOAA
NOAA's mission is to understand and predict changes in the
Earth's environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of
the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine
resources
About Raytheon
Raytheon Company, with 2014 sales of $23
billion and 61,000 employees worldwide, is a technology and
innovation leader specializing in defense, civil government
and cybersecurity markets throughout the world. With a history
of innovation spanning 93 years, Raytheon provides state-of-the-art
electronics, mission systems integration and other capabilities in
the areas of sensing; effects; and command, control, communications
and intelligence systems, as well as cybersecurity and a broad
range of mission support services. Raytheon is headquartered in
Waltham, Mass. For more about Raytheon, visit us
at www.raytheon.com and follow us on
Twitter @Raytheon.
Media Contact
Tara
Wood
+1.520.794.7715
rmspr@raytheon.com
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SOURCE Raytheon Company