The Miniature Air Launched Decoy under test at Eglin AFB, Fla., reached speeds up to 0.9 Mach during its first powered flight test on April 30, according to a May 23 release from the Armament Systems Center at Eglin. An F-16 launched the turbojet powered MALD, which then had no electrical power or communications provided by the F-16—a first for a GPS/Inertial Navigation System-guided weapon, reports Capt. C.J. Hale. The test team plans to begin tests with a B-52 next month.
Pentagon officials overseeing homeland counter-drone strategy told lawmakers that even with preliminary moves to bolster U.S. base defenses, the military still lacks the capability to comprehensively identify, track, and engage hostile drones like those that breached the airspace of Langley Air Force Base in Virginia for 17 days in December…