Ukraine’s Su-27s Just Got a New Trick: Meet the MALD, the Fake Missile That Makes Real Missiles Deadlier

Sparks, Smoke, and a Decoy with Teeth

MALD close-up. Ukrainian Air Force

Ukraine just showed off something that has been whispered about for a year but rarely seen in the wild: American-made ADM-160 Miniature Air-Launched Decoys, or MALDs, strapped under the wings of Su-27 Flanker fighters.

The MALD looks like a small cruise missile, but instead of blowing anything up, its job is to trick Russian air defense crews into emptying their very expensive missile tubes at a glorified party trick. Think of it as bait with a turbojet engine. And in a war where Russia fires $10 million S-400 interceptors like confetti, every wasted shot is worth its weight in gold-plated rubles.

Ukraine is not just flying with these on its Soviet jets for bragging rights. The MALD is designed to protect the heavy hitters, Storm Shadows and SCALPs, by confusing radar operators, forcing the Russians to light up their air defenses, and generally making a mockery of whatever’s left of the vaunted “layered” Russian anti-air umbrella.

And let’s be real: the Russian Ministry of Defense has spent two years claiming they shot down 14,000 Storm Shadows, 6,000 ATACMS, and maybe an F-35 or two.

Adding MALDs into the mix means we may soon hear Russian briefings proudly announcing they downed more missiles than Ukraine has ever owned.

How the MALD Works: Fake It Till You Break It