The U.S. Marine Corps and U.S. Air Force successfully collaborated with Raytheon Company for the first flight demonstration of a Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer (MALD-J®) equipped with a radio data link. Adding the data link expands the weapon's situational awareness and allows for in-flight targeting adjustments.
Raytheon flew a captive carry mission from the U.S. Marine Corps Air Station in Yuma to support a Marine Corps Weapons and Tactics Instructor exercise. The exercise used the USMC's recently released Electronic Warfare Services Architecture protocol and a Tactical Targeting Network Technology radio.
"This flight test shows MALD-J's ability to integrate new technology that will provide the warfighter more capabilities on the battlefield," said Mike Jarrett, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. "The Marines are operationalizing the Marine Air Ground Task Force Cyberspace and Electronic Warfare Coordination Cell and Raytheon is part of this forward-thinking solution to a complex problem."
MALD®-J carried out its assigned radar jamming mission on the range and was able to send situation awareness data to the EW Battle Manager (EWBM). The EWBM used this information to adjust the MALD's mission while in flight.
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.
The ADM-160C MALD-J variant, a highly autonomous stand-in-jammer, can also operate in decoy mode when selected by the warfighter.
- 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.