The Ukraine Weapons Tracker Twitter account posted an image showing that the Ukrainian military is using US-made ADM-160 MALD (Miniature Air-Launched Decoy) decoy missiles. These are small cruise missiles used to deceive enemy air defences. Depending on the specific type, these decoys can be used to jam enemy radars or mislead operators. For example, they can make them think that threats are coming from different directions, which can distract attention from the actual attack.
The image allegedly shows debris collected after a recent attack by the Ukrainian military on a facility in the temporarily occupied Luhansk. It is rumoured that the attack was carried out using Storm Shadow cruise missiles (for an overview of these weapons by Yuri Svitlyk, see here), and the decoy missiles could have been used to distract air defences.
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1657076098100756504
There is no independent confirmation of where and when the ADM-160 debris was found, but the image clearly shows markings consistent with the MALD family. The markings identify the projectile as an ADM-160B, which was the first version of the MALD to actually enter service after being delivered to the US Air Force in 2009.
The Model B, developed by Raytheon, differs from the first Model A in that it is larger, heavier, has a more powerful turbojet engine and a longer range – the maximum range is about 500 miles. It can simulate the radar signatures of different types of aircraft and is designed to follow a pre-programmed route. In 2012, the Air Force began purchasing ADM-160C variants that have the ability to create radar jamming.
Interestingly, the US government has not announced the supply of ADM-160 MALDs to Ukraine. “In general, the security assistance we provide to Ukraine ensures decisive success on the battlefield against Russian occupation forces,” said a Pentagon spokesperson in response to The WarZone’s question about the MALD delivery. – “For operational security reasons, we do not announce every unit provided to Ukraine.
If the Ukrainian military has indeed begun receiving MALDs, this is not the first time the Pentagon has transferred high-tech weapons and equipment without publicising it. The transfer of the ADM-160B, rather than the newer MALD variants, is also consistent with previous transfers of older-generation missiles and other munitions from US stockpiles to Ukraine.
It is not yet clear how Ukraine could use ADM-160s, as they are designed to be launched from the air. In principle, the work done to integrate AGM-88 and JDAM-ER munitions into Ukrainian Soviet-era combat aircraft could pave the way for the addition of MALDs to the arsenal.
https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1570426686872715265
These decoy missiles are well suited to a variety of other capabilities that Ukraine has already received or will receive in the future. For example, ADM-160 MALDs can increase the survivability of high-end strike munitions such as Storm Shadow. They would give Russian air defences more visible and threatening targets to detect and engage than Storm Shadow. In fact, they were designed for this type of attack.
They can also help destroy Russian air defences by pinpointing their location, and then other missiles can be launched. MALDs can even be used to provoke a response from certain air defence assets to try to deplete their stockpiles. For the Ukrainian military, having the ADM-160 would be very useful right now.
The fact that the ADM-160 MALDs could have been transferred to Ukraine is a potential indicator of how aggressive the US and its allies are becoming when it comes to supplying Kyiv with high-tech weapons. It also shows that Ukraine is rapidly learning how to use the munitions in complex, coordinated operations. Although The WarZone notes that they do not yet have definitive confirmation that Ukrainian forces are armed with these decoy missiles.
Read also:
- Weapons of Ukrainian Victory: JDAM system – How to turn a conventional bomb into a high-precision one
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