The US Air Force demonstrated that Raytheon Company's Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer could protect aircraft when it completed the first test of the MALD-J in a simulated operational environment.
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 (about 575 statute miles). The current MALD family includes both the baseline MALD and a stand-in jammer variant called the MALD-J.
"This test marked the greatest number of multiple Raytheon MALD vehicles airborne at once and demonstrated MALD-J's ability to protect manned aircraft," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Raytheon Missile Systems' Air Warfare Systems product line. "Completion of this test also removes the last major hurdle toward MALD-J completing a Functional Configuration Audit."
In an FCA, the government validates that the system meets all requirements and performs to specifications. With the completion of the FCA, the US Air Force could authorize a Milestone C decision - the decision to begin production - by the end of 2011.
The flight test was the most rigorous and complex test to date. Multiple MALD-Js in free flight and multiple captive-carry MALD-Js conducted electronic attack missions and demonstrated MALD-J's ability to operate in a dynamic environment with a manned aircraft strike package.
The baseline MALD, which is currently in production, protects aircrew and airborne systems by mimicking the signatures and combat flight profiles of US and allied aircraft. The MALD-J protects aircrew and airborne systems by reducing or eliminating the need for manned stand-in jamming aircraft.
Source: Raytheon
The procurement and acceleration production plans – some of which still await approval – across the air and land domains will aim to strengthen the operational needs of the Israel Defense Forces.
This shift is planned to accelerate the procurement and fielding of capabilities. As part of this strategy, the US also intends modernise its regulations in an attempt to change its bureaucratic and risk-averse culture.
More than 40,000 military personnel from 19 participating nations took part in the 11th iteration of the biennial Exercise Talisman Sabre multi-domain event which was held across Australia and in Papua New Guinea.
AFRICOM is seeking IT systems and supply chain management solutions to enhance interoperability and standardise logistical processes in its area of responsibility.
Germany’s Rheinmetall released its 1H 2025 results on 7 August, continuing the strong growth of recent years. A particular highlight of the result’s presentation was the Skyranger air defence system for which the company is predicting sales of about US$8.2 billion from the German Government before the end of the year.
Vehicle and technology companies are reporting substantial growth compared to the first half of 2024. Italy’s Fincantieri saw revenues jump 24% for the first half of the year compared to 2024 and Thales up 6.8% for the same period. General Dynamics reported second quarter revenue growth of 8.9% for the second quarter compared to last year and MilDef reported organic order intake growth of 58%.
Connect with us on socials
