The addition of the MALD decoy will help Ukraine’s Su-27 fighters retain an edge.
The Soviet-era Su-27 fighter jet is one of the oldest platforms being flown by both Ukraine and Russia amidst the ongoing war. While the platform may be aging, Kyiv has found a way to make its “Flanker” fleet more formidable. Last month, the Ukrainian Air Force equipped its Su-27 contingent with American ADM-160 MALD decoy missiles. Marking the first reported use of these fighters as launch platforms for the system, these jets now have an edge over their Russian-piloted counterparts. According to reports, published footage depicting the decked-out Su-27s was released by the Ukrainian Air Force in August. A Flanker jet appears on the flight line in the video, featuring a single MALD carried on each of its underwing hardpoints.
The ADM Miniature Air-Launched Decoy was developed for the US Armed Forces nearly 16 years ago. However, its conception dates back much further. The MALD program officially began in 1995 under the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency. While the US Air Force originally set out to acquire thousands of these systems, the service eventually nixed the program altogether due to the drone’s limitations. In the early 2000s, the Air Force renewed its interest in fielding another air-launched decoy and launched a competition for proposals. In the end, the new MALD contract was awarded to the multinational defense manufacturer Raytheon in 2003.
As explained by Raytheon, once the MALD decoy is launched into hostile airspace, its modular systems can fly a predetermined mission that defends allied aircraft while confusing adversarial air defense systems. Weighing approximately 300 pounds with a range of roughly 500 nautical miles, the MALD decoy has proven to be an effective system. According to The War Zone, Ukraine has been able to install the MALD decoys on both the Soviet-era Su-27 and MiG-29 platforms. In both cases, the decoy system is mounted on the fighters’ pylons. “This pylon is understood to help cue GPS-assisted guidance systems. The pylon transfers the precise location to the weapon at launch, since the Soviet-era jet lacks the databus or embedded GPS to provide that information, which is critical to the weapon’s navigation system. The same kind of pylon can be assumed to have a direct utility in support of the MALD as well.”
Introducing the Su-27 Flanker
The Soviet-era Su-27 fighter was conceptualized during the Cold War as part of the USSR’s efforts to field a jet that could better go up against American near-peer platforms. Following the collapse of the Soviet Union, the Flanker would live on to serve the Russian Air Force for years. The backbone of the Flanker is the 30mm GSh-310 gun and 150 rounds of ammunition. This jet can carry an array of missiles, rockets, and bombs, making it an impressive fighter. Some of the ordnance the Flanker can lug includes air-to-air missiles like the AA-10A and medium-range missiles like the R-27TI. The Su-27 continues to fly for Russia, as well as Ukraine and the other new states that propped up following the fall of the USSR. While Ukraine’s fleet is not considered as advanced as its modified Russian counterparts, the addition of the MALD decoy certainly helps its jets retain an edge.
About the Author: Maya Carlin
Maya Carlin, National Security Writer with The National Interest, is an analyst with the Center for Security Policy and a former Anna Sobol Levy Fellow at IDC Herzliya in Israel. She has bylines in many publications, including The National Interest, The Jerusalem Post, and The Times of Israel. You can follow her on Twitter: @MayaCarlin.
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