Fri, Sep 09, 2011
300-lb UAS Runs Interference (Literally) For Manned
Aircraft
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 about 500 nautical 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 U.S. 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.
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