– US Air Force completes operational testing on Raytheon’s MALD-J (Global Military Communications, April 14, 2015):
Raytheon Company and the U.S. Air Force successfully completed operational tests of Miniature Air Launched Decoy-Jammer (MALD-J), satisfying all requirements to attain Initial Operational Capability.
“MALD-J’s unique capabilities have been proven in 42 successful flight tests during the last two years and brought us closer to full rate production,” said Mike Jarrett, vice president of Raytheon’s Air Warfare Systems. “MALD helps protect warfighters in the battlespace so they can complete their missions and return home safely.”
The unmanned MALD-J navigates and operates much closer to the hostile radar when jamming the electronics than conventional electronic warfare systems, allowing aviators and aircraft to stay out of harm’s way. It can operate alone or in pairs, but is designed to work with and leverage other electronic warfare platforms.
About MALD and MALD-J
MALD is a state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles. MALD protects aircraft and their crews by duplicating the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft. MALD-J adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform.
- MALD confuses enemy air defenses by duplicating friendly aircraft flight profiles and radar signatures.
- MALD-J maintains all capabilities of MALD and adds jamming capabilities.
- Raytheon began delivery of MALD-Js in the fall of 2012.