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 will finish restructuring the Sentinel intercontinental ballistic missile program by the end of this year, achieve its first test launch of the ICBM by 2027, and reach initial operational capability by the early 2030s.
