In the late 1980s, when the US military-industrial complex relied on stealth technology to achieve overwhelming air superiority, the Russian side focused on the development of air defense systems, by now having created a number of unparalleled systems.
As a result, the American defense complex has spawned a number of record-breaking cost projects with an emphasis on stealth technology. Strategic bomber B-2, the production of which was phased out due to the high cost of production, maintenance and operation. The F-22 fighter, which has become an unbearable burden for the defense budget for the same reasons.
Before that there was a project F-117 that did not take root in the Air Force, but today the American budget and the nerves of engineers continue to torment the problematic F-35. Despite the colossal resources invested in the development of stealth, which, according to the idea, should have allowed the technology to solve any combat missions in the enemy's air defense zone, the Pentagon actually admits that US developments today are not capable of this.
In military circles, this topic has been thundering for several years, and the tests of "fake missiles" that took place in America partly confirm this. It is known that the American military-industrial complex has been working on the MALD-X project for several years, which implies the creation of a missile as a decoy target for the enemy's air defense. The other day, at the Point Mugu naval aviation base, the first tests of a prototype took place.
As the director of the Office of Strategic Capabilities under the Office of the Deputy Secretary of Defense for Research and Development Chris Shank noted, the mission of MALD-X is to simulate combat aircraft, which will give real fighters and bombers a significant advantage during combat operations, adding that the tests have passed successfully.
Data on the "dummy missile" for obvious reasons are not disclosed. But the fact remains that this program can be positioned as a kind of "patch" for the American stealth aircraft, which, apparently, is very noticeable for modern anti-aircraft systems.
At the same time, the success of the tests should be judged conditionally, since it is impossible to guarantee that modern systems, such as the S-400, will “bite” at the snag. And if the Pentagon so badly wants to throw someone into the embrasure, then the US Air Force has thousands of F-15s and F-16s that could easily cope with this task.
