The Air Force recently took delivery of its 1,000th Miniature Air Launched Decoy Jammer variant as part of Lot 5 production, manufacturer Raytheon announced. “The MALD program has enjoyed a perfect 33-for-33 flight test record over the past two years,” said Mike Jarrett, company vice president for air warfare and missile systems, in a release May 13. “The MALD has demonstrated it can simultaneously increase the combat capability of platforms, sensors, weapons, and decision-makers working in the battlespace.” Raytheon began delivering the 300-pound, radar-jamming decoy in late 2012, and sealed an $81.7 million deal with the Air Force for production Lot 6 last spring.
The Air Force budget would grow to $234 billion while Space Force spending would shrink to $26 billion under the White House's yearly ask.