Raytheon to deliver small drone decoys to the U.S. Navy

Sept. 26 (UPI) -- Raytheon Missile Systems in Tucson, Ariz., has received a $46.7 million contract for technical work on the Miniature Air Launched Decoy for the U.S. Navy.

Work will be performed in Tucson, East Hartford, Conn., the Netherlands, and locations throughout the continental U.S. Work is expected to be completed in November 2020.

Navy fiscal 2018 research, development, test and evaluation funds in the amount of $10.4 million will be obligated at the time of award.

The MALD decoy is a type of drone launched to confuse and divert enemy air defenses by looking like U.S. or allied air defenses on sensors.

It is launched by aircraft and has a range of nearly 600 miles. It weighs under 300 pounds and can be launched in formations to further complicate air-defense efforts.

The MALD-J also carries jamming systems to further disrupt defenses by countering enemy radar. It can loiter in the target area for long periods of time, allowing attacking pilots to complete their strike missions with lesser risk.

The MALD-J can be launched alone or in pairs and is designed to be operated in coordination with other electronic warfare aircraft like the EA-18 Growler and other types.