Nary, Raytheon integrate decoy system

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FARNBOROUGH, England, July 9 (UPI) -- Miniature air-launched decoy jammers that weigh less than 300 pounds are is being integrated into U.S. Navy jets by Raytheon.

Raytheon, in a news release from the Farnborough Air Show in Britain, said MALD-J variants are being used on F/A-18 E/F Super Hornets.

MALD -- modular and programmable -- protects aircraft by duplicating the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft. The MALD-J adds radar-jamming capability to the basic MALD platform.

"MALD will save sailors lives because it saturates enemy integrated air defense systems, causing them to attack the wrong target instead of attacking our aircraft," said Harry Schulte, vice president of Air Warfare Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems.

Raytheon said it is working with the Navy to ensure the MALD-J can withstand the stress of carrier takeoffs and landings.

The integration process, which has already started, includes risk reduction procedures and technology demonstrations.