Raytheon's MALD-J to begin production
Raytheon’s Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J ) variant is to begin low rate initial production following a Milestone C decision by the US Air Force (USAF). According to Raytheon the USAF also exercised a contract option and awarded Raytheon $5 million to convert Lot 4 MALD production of the baseline to the MALD-J variant.
According to Raytheon, the MALD confuses enemy air defences by duplicating friendly aircraft flight profiles, radar signatures. It is a ‘state-of-the-art, low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable’.
The system weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles). MALD protects aircrews and their aircraft by duplicating the combat flight profiles and signatures of US and allied aircraft. The MALD-J adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform.
Delivery of the MALD-J will begin in 2012.
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