The Air Force awarded Raytheon a $76 million option for the production of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy/Jammer (MALD-J) lot 10. MALD-J is the unmanned version of “a low-cost, air-launched programmable craft that accurately duplicates the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft,” according to the company. The expendable vehicles are designed to distract enemy radar from live US aircraft. This award comes as an alteration to the $118 million contract for lot 9 production given to Raytheon in June. The work will be done in Tuscon, Ariz., and is expected to be completed by June 30, 2020. (See also: Leading EW Out of the Wilderness.)
The Air Force’s Experimental Operations Unit hosted a change of command ceremony recently, another sign of how the CCA concept is maturing and becoming entrenched in the Air Force’s structure, to the point where exercises have generated multiple sorties in a single day to simulate high-tempo combat operations.