US MALD flying decoy used in #Ukraine

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Images surface of secretive US MALD flying decoy used in #Ukraine. But what is MALD? https://bit.ly/430qUM0?utm_source=dlvr.it&utm_medium=mastodon #AVGeek

https://masto.ai/@zaibatsu/110376248601264847

Over the weekend, images surfaced on social media that strongly suggest Ukraine is now operating America’s secretive ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy, or MALD in the ongoing fight against Russian forces. The MALD is an advanced flying decoy capable of broadcasting the radar return of any aircraft in service, allowing the air-launched system to trick enemy air defenses into seeing anything from a nimble inbound fighter to a massive strategic bomber and anything in between.

These systems are often leveraged as part of a broader suppression of enemy air defense operation, with MALDs leading the way, broadcasting decoy radar returns, and prompting air defense radar arrays to come online to engage the decoys.

While official confirmation has yet to be released, social media posts of the debris claim the MALD wreckage was found in the vicinity of a Ukrainian airstrike against targets in the Eastern Ukrainian city of Luhansk.

As The Warzone previously reported, markings on the debris appear to suggest the system was an ADM-160B variant of the MALD, which is among the more dated versions of the system. The ADM-160B MALD has an operational range of some 500 miles.

A video about MALD from Raytheon.