Expendable Wave: Raytheon’s MALD & MALD-J Decoys
September 27/18: MALD-N The Navy is one step closer in acquiring new decoys for its warplanes. Raytheon will be responsible to mature the technological concept and reduce associated risks in the Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Navy (MALD-N) development program. The cost-plus-fixed-fee contract is valued at $49.6 million. The MALD-N is a navalised version of the MALD-X, which will be the successor to the currently fielded MALD-J. MALD-X enhances the modular nature of the mini cruise missile with the ability to accommodate different electronic warfare payloads that are more advanced than those found on MALD-J. What is planned to come out of MALD-X is a networked decoy that can use its adaptive electronic warfare payload to deliver electronic attacks on air defense nodes autonomously or at the direction of operators from a afar in a semi-autonomous fashion. Work will be performed at multiple locations including – but not limited to – Tucson, Arizona; Papendrecht, Netherlands and Indianapolis, Indiana. The contract is set to run though November 2020.
(click to view full)
The Bosnian “Nighthawk Down” incident in 1999 showed that even old air defense systems could still be dangerous, and that smart tactics and selective use could keep those systems alive against heavy opposition. The challenge is finding them and targeting them. Against truly advanced air defense systems like the Russian SA-20 family, however, the challenge is survival. Advanced stealth technologies, advanced anti-radar weapons, and successful electronic jamming are required.
Air-launched decoys can help, and they are not a new concept by any means. The same technologies used in cruise missiles allow construction of “stealth in reverse” decoys that fly long distances along pre-planned flight patterns, carrying radar reflectors that simulate the radar return of fighter or bomber aircraft. Enemy air defenses see them as incoming aircraft, and must decide to either shut down and hide, or activate and reveal their position. If American aircraft are flying behind a wave a decoys, either option can be dangerous. The USAF’s ADM-160B/C Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) program began as a DARPA effort in 1996, but made it all the way into production, and is branching out into new fields. The US Navy already has their own ITALD, but they liked one of the new MALD variants enough to add it, too.
MALD and Its Variants
Program Timeline
Industrial Team
Contracts and Key Events
FY 2018
FY 2014 – 2016
FY 2011 – 2013
FY 2006 – 2010
Additional Readings
(click to view full)
Fill in the secure form below to activate your subscription right away (or pick another plan)
