The U.S. Air Force awarded Raytheon $96.7 million for a third production lot of the Miniature Air Launched Decoy. MALD is a state-of-the-art, low-cost, decoy flight vehicle that is modular, air-launched and programmable. It weighs less than 300 pounds and has a range of approximately 500 nautical miles (about 575 statute miles).

"MALD protects aircrew and their aircraft by mimicking the signatures and combat flight profiles of U.S. and allied aircraft," said Ken Watson, the U.S. Air Force's MALD program manager.

"This contract delivers additional capabilities to the combatant commanders by giving them more options to shape the battlespace."

MALD is currently in production, and Raytheon has delivered more than 100 units to the U.S. Air Force. This new contract calls for the company to build approximately 300 additional decoys - nearly equal to the total of Lots I and II combined.

Additionally, the contract requires the delivery of the MALD-Jammer in preparation for the MALD-J initial operational test and evaluation phase, with production expected to begin in 2011.

"This contract showcases the reliability and capability of the baseline program," said Scott Muse, Raytheon's MALD program director.

"MALD can be certified on any aircraft with a 14-inch suspension carriage, and its modular design opens the door to numerous options beyond the stand-in-jammer, making MALD an ideal solution for the men and women in uniform."