MALD stands for Minature Air-Launched Decoy. These are unmanned, unarmed aerial vehicles that can replicate the radar return of any aircraft in the NATO arsenal vis its Signature Augmentation System. It is 9 feet long and weighs around 300 lbs. It also carries the CERBERUS electronic warfare payload. The expendable decoys can fly closer than other SW aircraft offsetting its low power transmitters. It has a range of 500 miles and can fly for more than an hour. It is a low-cost, Air-Launched Programmable aircraft. It duplicates the signatures of allied aircraft and can be used to deceive an air defense system. Different MALD versions can be used as aerial targets and has been used to deplete missiles that have their shelf-life expired.
[[Signature Augmentation System]]
[[MALD History]]
[[CERBERUS]]
[[MALD-X]]
[[Tactical Uses of MALD]]
MALD Construction
[[MALD Performance]]
[[MALD GAINS]] – INS system
[[MALD Launch Procedures]]
[[MALD-J]] – jamming version
[[Air-Launched Effects]] – similar to MALD
Sources
How Would US Respond To Russian Nuclear Attack in Ukraine War, (Nov. 17, 2022). Accessed: Nov. 26, 2022. [Online Video]. Available: https://youtube.com/watch?v=1IresaXAmIA
A. Hollings, “ADM-160 MALD: America’s secret weapon to engage air defenses isn’t a weapon at all,” Sandboxx. Accessed: Nov. 30, 2022. [Online]. Available: https://www.sandboxx.us/blog/adm-160-mald-americas-secret-weapon-to-engage-air-defenses-isnt-a-weapon-at-all/
“Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD®) & Future Concepts.” Accessed: Jul. 18, 2023. [Online]. Available: https://ndiastorage.blob.core.usgovcloudapi.net/ndia/2010/targets/Rutt.pdf
“Exhibit P-40, Budget Line Item Justification: PB 2019 Air Force.” Accessed: Feb. 02, 2024. [Online]. Available: https://www.dacis.com/budget/budget_pdf/FY19/PROC/F/000074_90.pdf
Backlinks
[[B-52 Stratofortress]]
[[F-16]]
[[NATO]]]
[[Sizing a Turbojet Engine]]