Ukrainian strategy: Advanced decoys elude Russian defences
The Russians boasted about shooting down a Ukrainian cruise missile. However, it was not damaging and achieved its objective. Here, we explore what the ADM-160B MALD missiles, acquired from the USA, are used for.
Cruise missiles delivered from the USA, ADM-160B MALD launched, among others, from MiG-29 aircraft, are crucial in facilitating attacks on heavily defended targets deep within enemy territory using, for instance, Storm Shadow cruise missiles or MGM-140 ATACMS ballistic missiles.
The Russian claims of shooting down MALDs indicate they fulfilled their role and possibly aided in successfully hitting the target. The ADM-160B MALD missiles are sophisticated decoys designed to divert the attention of air defence systems from genuine targets.
ADM-160B MALD — capable of creating "ghost planes"
The ADM-160B MALD (Miniature Air-Launched Decoy) was developed by Raytheon in the early 21st century following a project initiated by DARPA in 1995. The original version, ADM-160A MALD, developed by Teledyne Ryan, became available somewhat later, but the programme was cancelled in 2002 due to inadequate range.
The work was soon resumed by the RTX corporation (formerly Raytheon), resulting in the creation of the enhanced ADM-160B MALD missile, which entered service with the United States Air Force (USAF) in 2009. The ADM-160B, instead of a traditional warhead, features electronics simulating radar and signal signatures characteristic of specific aircraft models.
It can also replicate flight trajectory, making the decoy appear as a genuine target to personnel operating air defence systems. Therefore, air defences can be focused on a different area from where the real threat might emerge.
ADM-160B MALD — deceives air defence systems and exposes them to attack
Most radars in air defence systems have a limited detection field, and older systems with semi-active radar seekers require continuous illumination of the target by radar until its destruction. As a result, their ability to respond to targets emerging from different directions is limited.
Additionally, ADM-160B MALDs are used as decoys that activate air defence systems (triggering radars) to render them vulnerable to attacks by aircraft armed with AGM-88 HARM missiles. Newer versions, such as the ADM-160C MALD-J introduced in 2012, include features to disrupt enemy radar operations and alter flight parameters through the addition of a communication link maintaining continuous contact with the carrier aircraft.
These features are encapsulated in a missile weighing approximately 115 kilograms, with a length of about 3 metres and a wingspan of 2 metres. The ADM-160B MALD offers the capability of flying for 45 minutes and has a range of up to 920 kilometres, thanks to the use of a Pratt & Whitney TJ-150 turbojet engine with a thrust of about 68 kilograms. It is a key component in the arsenal of the Ukrainian air force, although its operation is non-kinetic.
