Ukraine uses the world's most modern missile 'decoy' to fool Russian air defense

Notably, this type of weapon has never been publicly disclosed by Washington in military aid packages for Kiev. Images of MALD fragments quickly spread on social media, raising questions about whether the Armed Forces of Ukraine (AFU) may have used “decoy” tactics to wear down Russia’s air defenses.

MALD is a pre-programmed, autonomous flying system that can mimic the signals of US or allied aircraft, fooling enemy integrated air defense systems (IADS). Although the decoy is not equipped with an explosive warhead or has any offensive power, it plays a strategic role in battlefield confrontations.

Illustration of the structure of the AGM-160B MALD "decoy" missile

“The AGM-160B MALD is essentially a small cruise missile/gliding bomb equipped with a radar jammer, capable of emitting a signal similar to that on the fire control unit of missiles,” said Trent Telenko, a former US Department of Defense official.

MALD variants resemble small cruise missiles, intended to deceive enemy air defenses rather than be used for active attack. These “dummy” missiles are deployed to jam radar, making the enemy believe there is a threat from multiple directions, diverting defense attention and resources before a real attack ensues.

Debris recovered in eastern Ukraine suggests it may be an older version of the ADM-160. The MALD has been in service with the US Air Force since 2009, and is typically integrated into the B-1B fleet and launched from F-16 or B-52H fighters.

A fragment of a MALD missile recovered from the battlefield in eastern Ukraine

Some analysts say Ukraine may have attached these decoys to the MiG-29, a fighter jet that is already equipped with other US weapons including AGM-88 HARM missiles or JDAM-ER smart bombs.

"Testing" Russian air defense

The idea of developing the ADM-160 MALD was put forward by the US in the late 1990s, influenced by the experience of the Gulf War - where it showed the importance of neutralizing enemy radar-guided air defense systems.

Initially, the ADM-160 faced technical and financial difficulties, with limitations in range and gearbox capacity. However, by 2009, the US military had successfully developed the more sophisticated ADM-160B version, with many improvements to overcome the above limitations.

MALD missiles are launched from fighter jets, simulating the reflection of aircraft waves or cruise missiles to deceive enemy air defenses.

MALD's Signal Augmentation Subsystem (SAS) is capable of simulating the radar reflection wavelengths of various aircraft or warheads using active radar enhancement, thereby deceiving defense systems.

This confuses enemy air defense batteries, exhausting interceptor missiles, before being finished off by anti-radiation missiles such as the AGM-88 HARM (US) or ALARM (UK).

The ADM-160B has a maximum range of 500 miles, with a design that can be programmed to follow a course or stay stationary around predetermined locations.

The combination of “dummy” missiles with cruise missiles like the Storm Shadow, along with the threat from drone fleets, creates significant challenges for the enemy.

The British-supplied Storm Shadow missile, weighing 1,900 kg, could theoretically be fitted to heavy fighters such as the Su-24 and Su-27. As of the start of the conflict in February 2022, the AFU is believed to have around 34 Su-27s and 16-24 Su-24Ms in service.

The Ukrainian side could lure Russian air defenses by sending MALDs that are more visible and easier to attack than the low-flying, near-stealthy Storm Shadow. The same combination could be used with JDAM-ER or HARM missiles.

However, so far, military experts believe that Kiev has not yet created a turning point on the battlefield, mainly because AFU only has "six active Storm Shadow launchers" - according to the statement of Ukrainian Defense Minister Oleksii Reznikov.

(According to EurAsian Times)

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