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Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD)

The Russian Defense Ministry said Ukraine used two Storm Shadow missiles and one US-made ADM-160 MALD decoy missile to shell Lugansk on May 12. Another Storm Shadow missile hit a village near Lugansk on 13 May 2023, according to the local authorities. Several civilians, including children, were injured as a result of the strikes. After that, the Russian invaders announced that they had found an American drone in the city.

The mouthpieces of the Kremlin also published a photo allegedly of the same BpLA. "A US-made drone was found in the center of Luhansk, it fell shortly before the missile strike," said a source in the Russian military. The so-called "Ministry of Internal Affairs of the LPR" specified that the US-made ADM-160B aircraft was allegedly a false target before the real strike.

Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) is an air-launched, expendable decoy that provides the Air Force the capability to simulate, deceive, decoy, and saturate an enemy’s threat integrated air defense system (IADS). The MALD production transitioned to include the ADM-160C MALD-J variant, which has the same decoy capability of the MALD plus the addition of jamming IADS. The MALD and MALD-J have ranges up to 500 NM (925 km) to include a 200-NM (370-km) dash with a 30-minute loiter mode. It has no warhead and, therefore, no detonation upon impact with the surface would occur.

Depending on the specific variant, these decoys are used to jam enemy radars or otherwise mislead their operators by "pretending" to be a conventional aircraft or a subsonic cruise missile. Lures make them think that threats are coming from different directions, often diverting attention and resources from the real threats. ADM-160C MALD-J is designed to support an airborne strike force to achieve mission success by jamming enemy radars and air-defense systems by degrading/denying detection of friendly aircraft or munitions.

On 13 May 2023, an image appeared on social networks, which indicates that the Armed Forces of Ukraine received and are already using small airborne decoys ADM-160B [not the ADM-160C jammer] made by the United States. The corresponding photo was published on Twitter, as well as a number of Russian Telegram channels. The media note that the fragments of false missiles ADM-160 MALD were found in the city of Lugansk after a powerful shelling. The so-called representative office of the LPR in the JCCC also reported that, according to updated information, during the rocket attack on the city on May 12, the Armed Forces of Ukraine used two Storm Shadow cruise missiles and one ADM-160B MALD anti-aircraft missile.

According to the internet portal The Drive, Pentagon officials declined to comment on the possible delivery of ADM-160B MALD to Ukraine, citing that they “for operational security reasons do not comment on the delivery of all items that are transferred to Ukraine.” The U.S. government had not previously announced any deliveries of MALDs of any kind to Ukraine.

The War Zone reported that "in December 2022 the Pentagon announced new aid for the Ukrainian armed forces that included what was only described at the time as a "counter air defense capability." That U.S. military assistance package was also a so-called "drawdown," meaning that all the items it contained would come straight from existing U.S. military stocks. If the Ukrainian military has indeed begun receiving MALDs, this would not be the first time the Pentagon has transferred higher-end weapons and other equipment and not initially disclosed it."