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MALD Decoy
On show here for the first time is a full-scale model of Raytheon's Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD). Being developed under a May 2003 contract, MALD is a 250-pound turbojet-powered vehicle that can carry electronic packages allowing it to mimic the radar signature of a wide range of aircraft. It is expected to enter service in 2008, and will be carried by F-16s and by the airborne electronic attack variant of the B-52H.
The first MALD version will be a decoy, but Raytheon is also looking to equip it with a datalink and a radar receiver as part of the Advanced Tactical Targeting Technology (AT3) concept developed by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. AT3 uses multiple, linked receivers, synchronized by GPS, to provide instant and highly accurate location data for hostile emitters. The MALD airframe could also carry an imaging sensor for strike damage assessment, or a close-in jamming payload.
Designated ADM-160B, the Raytheon MALD is larger than the original
DARPA/Northrop Grumman ADM-160A, which was never launched into full-scale
development by the USAF.
—Bill Sweetman
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