Ukraine is using American missiles as decoys to distract Russian air defence radars taking down the UK’s Storm Shadow missiles, analysts claim.
Forces in Kyiv are using ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoy (MALD) missiles to turn the enemy’s attention away from British Storm Shadow cruise missiles so the long-range missiles can hit their targets.
Images of MALD fragments have led some to suggest that the US is sending more of the weapons than it had previously announced.
The OSINTtechnical Twitter account, which tracks weapon usage in the war in Ukraine, said: “This would be the first one seen in Ukrainian service.
“With the capability to mimic an aircraft, these units could be used to bait and confuse Russian air defense systems.”
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UK Defence Secretary, Ben Wallace, has confirmed that Britain has sent Storm Shadow missiles.
Paolo Diaz, the editor-in-chief of aviation website Aviacionline, explained that MALD missiles can penetrate “robust radar-guided” air defence systems.
He told the Telegraph: “Its deployment can provide a substantial advantage to the operator, proving its worth in the complex dynamics of modern warfare.”
The MALD missiles are manufactured by weapons producer Raytheon. They do not carry an explosive payload, but sophisticated technology allows them to mimic aircraft or a missile.
They are made small, weighing just 45kg, enabling aircraft to fire multiple decoy missiles in a “swarm”.
In a promotional video, Raytheon boasts that the MALDs are used to confuse enemy air defence systems.
The video says: “With the advanced air defence threat degraded, previously vulnerable strike aircraft [and missiles] are now able to conduct an offensive operation with impunity.”
According to military websites, the MALD missile was only introduced into the US military in 2014.
In February, US President Joe Biden pledged nearly half a billion more dollars of US military aid to Ukraine as he visited Kyiv.
Prior to this, Congress had allocated more than $112bn (£92.47bn) for Ukraine in 2022 alone.
Washington had pledged nearly $80billion (£64billion) in total aid to Ukraine.
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