Wed, May 26, 2010
Awards Raytheon $97 Million For More Of The Tiny Aircraft That
Mimics Combat Profiles
The U.S. Air Force has awarded Raytheon Company $96.7 million
for a third production lot of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy
(MALD), a decoy 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 aircrew and their aircraft by mimicking the
signatures and combat flight profiles of U.S. and allied aircraft,"
said Ken Watson, the U.S. Air Force's MALD program manager. "This
contract delivers additional capabilities to the combatant
commanders by giving them more options to shape the
battlespace."
MALD is currently in production, and Raytheon has delivered
more than 100 units to the U.S. Air Force. This new contract calls
for the company to build approximately 300 additional decoys --
nearly equal to the total of Lots I and II combined. Additionally,
the contract requires the delivery of the MALD-Jammer in
preparation for the MALD-J initial operational test and evaluation
phase, with production expected to begin in 2011.
"This contract showcases the reliability and capability of the
baseline program," said Scott Muse, Raytheon's MALD program
director. "MALD can be certified on any aircraft with a 14-inch
suspension carriage, and its modular design opens the door to
numerous options beyond the stand-in-jammer, making MALD an ideal
solution for the men and women in uniform."
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