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.
More from Defence Notes
-
Intelligence innovation: From data overload to decision advantage (Podcast)
As militaries face an overwhelming flow of data, the challenge is shifting from collection to delivering fast, actionable insights that drive decision-making. Advances in AI and data integration are helping armed forces move beyond siloed systems to generate real-time intelligence across domains and allies.
-
SAHA 2026 to Convene the Global Defence Ecosystem
SAHA 2026 brings global defence and aerospace leaders to Istanbul for partnerships, launches, panels and high-value meetings.
-
Teledyne FLIR adds GPS-denied 3D-mapping capabilities to its CBRN uncrewed platforms
In a partnership with Emesent, Teledyne FLIR will equip its autonomous air, ground and detection systems with the Hovermap LiDAR payload in a move that highlights a broader market shift towards modular architectures, shared payloads and interoperability across platforms.
-
US seeks 32% boost for missile defence budget with $23 billion earmarked for interceptors
The Pentagon’s proposed budget for the next fiscal year includes an impressive increase in the procurement of interceptors, with the number of the US Army’s PAC-3 MSE rounds expanding by 683%, the US Navy’s Standard Missile by 365% and the MDA’s SM-3 IIA by more than 1,000%.
-
US Army partners with Global Military Products to surge munitions production
Global Military Products was selected by the US Army to operate the Quad Cities Cartridge Case Facility and ramp up the production of various calibre shell cases.