October 9, 2005: The Navy is conducting final safety testing of a low-cost "disposable" UAV that is can be deployed out of a P-3 Orion sonarbuoy drop chute, with customers "waiting" for the device to be cleared for operational use. Operational approval is expected by the end of the year.

Depending on the payload, the battery-powered Coyote UAV weighs between 12 to 14 pounds, is a little less than a meter long, has a wingspan of about 1.75 meters and an an endurance of 1.5 hours. It has a cruising airspeed of 93 kilometers per hour with a dash airspeed of 140 kilometers per hour with a top operational ceiling of 25,000 feet. Currently, the sensor payload can consist of an off-the-shelf $500 Sony digital camera or a commercial-grade uncooled IR camera. The UAV is "flown" via line-of-sight radio link with a max range of 36 kilometers. In operations, the Coyote pod is dumped out of the P-3's sonar buoy and falls away from the aircraft. The pod breaks open to release the UAV, its wings and folding propeller pop out, and the engine starts up.

While the P-3 community will be the first ones to use the Coyote, the Navy is looking at other ways to launch the vehicle from ships and submarines. - Doug Mohney.