TUCSON, Ariz., 18 March 2009. The U.S. Air Force accepted delivery of the first Miniature Air Launched Decoy low-rate initial production unit from Raytheon Company.

"The warfighter now has an incredible new capability thanks to the hard work of hundreds of Raytheon employees, suppliers, dedicated Air Force civil servants, uniformed service members, and support personnel," says Ken Watson, the U.S. Air Force's MALD program manager. "MALD will work in concert with other electronic warfare assets as part of a system of systems to shape the electronic warfare battlespace and ensure our aviators and their coalition partners return home safely to their loved ones."

MALD protects aircrews and aircraft by duplicating the combat flight profiles and signatures of U.S. and allied aircraft. MALD is a low-cost flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched, and programmable, weighing less than 300 pounds and with a range of roughly 500 nautical miles (575 statute miles).

"With this first delivery under our belts, Raytheon is on track to meet the U.S. Air Force's required asset availability date of March 2010," adds Harry Schulte, Raytheon Missile Systems vice president of Air Warfare Systems. "We're committed to on-time delivery, since the warfighter is counting on us to provide them with the flexibility and capability inherent in MALD."