March 11,2008: A year ago, the U.S. Air Force was very upset with how the development of a new decoy was going or, rather, not going. Back in 2003, the air force issued an $88 million development contract for a new powered decoy. The new MALD (miniature air-launched decoy) was to be 9.5 feet long, and its pop-out wings gave it a five foot wingspan. The 200 pound MALD was to be powered by a small turbojet engine that gave it a speed of up to about 1000 kilometers an hour, for 45 minutes at 35,000 feet, or 20 minutes at 3,000 feet. It was to be programmed to fly a specific course to try and get enemy air defenses to open up, so they can be spotted and destroyed. MALDs were also designed to be used in swarms to overwhelm enemy air defenses. Testing and development began in 2003, with the expectation that the new MALD would be ready for service by 2007, at a cost of about $125,000 each. That did not happen, and a lot of air force generals were not happy.

The contractor apparently got the message. MALD then proceeded to pass 33 of 35 tests over an eight month period. However, the MALD now weighs 285 pounds and costs about twice as much. But the modified MALD design can handle more complex defenses. Apparently, the third try was the charm. An earlier MALD design project had been cancelled in 2002, as its cost and complexity spiraled out of control. Eight years ago, the MALD was supposed to be a smaller (eight feet long), simpler and cheaper ($30,000) design. But, as is common with these project, both the air force and the manufacturer, or the air force, kept coming up with new things the MALD had to have. Some were necessary, others were just part of the usual procurement politics. The current MALD, which is now ready to go into production, has a range of about 900 kilometers, and is apparently reliable enough to be used in combat. MALDs are used to deceive enemy radar, and look, at least on a radar, like a fighter-bomber.