Ukrainian MiG‑29s deploy American decoys against Russian defenses

A video has surfaced showing a Ukrainian MiG-29 aircraft carrying very interesting ADM-160B MALD missiles. Their target is Russian air defense. We explain what they are and how they work.

While waiting for the promised F-16 aircraft, the Ukrainian Air Force continues to operate actively based on the few remaining serviceable MiG-29, Su-27, and Su-24 aircraft. One of the means allowing them to operate within the range of Russian air defense are the unique ADM-160B MALD missiles provided by the USA.

These are non-kinetic missiles designed to distract Russian air defense away from real targets such as bomb-carrying aircraft with JDAM-ER, AASM Hammer, Paveway, or missiles like Storm Shadow and AGM-88 HARM.

The ADM-160B MALD (Miniature Air-Launched Decoy) missile was developed by Raytheon in the first decade of the 21st century as a continuation of a project initiated by DARPA in 1995. The first model, ADM-160A MALD, created by Teledyne Ryan, was completed shortly thereafter, but the program was canceled in 2002 due to insufficient range.

Over time, however, work resumed under the efforts of RTX Corporation (formerly Raytheon), which resulted in the enhanced version ADM-160B MALD being introduced into the United States Air Force (USAF) arsenal in 2009.

The ADM-160B MALD missiles, instead of a traditional warhead, carry equipment designed to simulate the radar and signal signatures characteristic of specific types of aircraft. Additionally, the missile can mimic flight trajectories, making the decoy look like a credible target to enemy air defense operators.

This makes it possible, for example, for air defense to be focused on a different area than the one from which the real threat is approaching. Most radar systems have limited detection angles, and in the case of older designs using semi-active radar homing missiles, the air defense system's radar must continuously illuminate the target with a steady beam until impact. For this reason, these systems have limited capabilities against targets approaching from other directions.

The ADM-160B MALD missiles can serve as decoys to activate air defense systems (turn on radars), exposing them to attacks from aircraft equipped with anti-radiation missiles like the AGM-88 HARM.

The newer versions such as the ADM-160C MALD-J were introduced into service in 2012. Their capabilities include jamming enemy radar operations or changing parameters mid-flight thanks to a communication link.

All of this is packed into a missile weighing 254 pounds (115 kg), with a length of 9 feet (2.8 m) and a wingspan of 5.6 feet (1.7 m). The ADM-160B MALD is capable of flying for 45 minutes and has a range of up to 570 miles (920 km). This is a very important means in the Ukrainian Air Force's arsenal despite its non-kinetic operational nature.