NAVAIR is planning to amass Energetic Expendable Decoys with a 2″x1″x8″ kind issue from Leonardo UK, hinting on the system being the BriteCloud 218 countermeasure.
The U.S. Naval Air Techniques Command (NAVAIR) will quickly negotiate and award a contract to Leonardo UK for as much as 6,000 Energetic Expendable Decoy (AED) to equip the U.S. Navy’s F-35 and F/A-18 fighter jets. The event, first reported by Breaking Protection, was revealed in a presolicitation discover printed in June 2024.
Leonardo UK has been described because the “solely contractor who possesses the manufacturing expertise, infrastructure, capability, and platform {qualifications} to finish all necessities” and ship the AEDs. The discover explains that the contract features a base yr, Fiscal 12 months 2027, in addition to as much as 4 possibility years via FY2031.
AEDs produce highly effective radio frequency emissions to deceive, jam, overwhelm and draw away incoming anti-air missiles from the plane. Opposite to towed decoys presently employed on many plane, together with the F-35 and F/A-18, these decoys are deployed like commonplace chaff and flares cartridges, drawing hearth additional away from the plane.
A complete of three,000 to six,000 AEDs will probably be procured per yr, along with “spare impulse cartridges, associated assist tools and repairs, and discipline service consultant assist.” The brand new decoys will equip the F-35, F/A-18 and different unspecified U.S. Authorities platforms.
Confirmed for operational use – @DeptofDefense’s International Comparative Testing programme has issued #Britecloud with a Fielding Suggestion for the US #F16 Combating Falcon. Study world’s 1st Digital Radio Frequency Reminiscence #DRFM @Leonardo_UK #DSEIJapan pic.twitter.com/LxhFwjuq0E
— Leonardo (@Leonardo_live) March 15, 2023
The contract presolicitation follows an April 2025 Sources Sought discover that scoured distributors for the AEDs. That discover talked about that the AEDs are supposed to supply further Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) functionality to the plane, including that the F-35 has already “examined and built-in AED functionality, which resulted in a fielding resolution,” whereas the choice for the F/A-18, probably referring to each the F/A-18-E/F Tremendous Hornet and EA-18G Growler, will probably be taken in 2027.
Whereas the discover doesn’t specify the title of the AED which will probably be supplied by Leonardo, the point out of this particularly being Leonardo UK and the Place of Efficiency being Luton strongly means that the AED being sought is the BriteCloud 218 decoy. Moreover, the 2x1x8 inch kind issue additional factors to the BriteCloud 218 decoy, which was already examined by the U.S. Air Pressure in 2022 – receiving the designation AN/ALQ-260(V)1 – and eyed to equip the U.S. Navy’s F-35s in June 2024.
System and vendor necessities
As beforehand talked about, the AEDs are supposed to supply further Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) functionality to the plane, complementing those already fielded.
As an illustration, the F-35 is provided with the BAE Techniques ASQ-239 onboard self-protection system, which additionally consists of the ALE-70 fiber-optic towed decoy. Equipping the F-35 with BriteCloud considerably enhances the plane’s survivability, because the stealth jet is just not outfitted with chaffs, whereas it is ready to carry solely a restricted variety of ALE-70 decoys.
The April 2025 Sources Sought discover lists the factors that the contractor, now recognized as Leonardo, should meet:
2″ x 1″ x 8″ kind issue
Mission load programmable by the Authorities
Demonstrated RFCM efficiency functionality evaluated at TRL-9, outlined as: “Precise system confirmed via profitable mission operations”
Evaluated at MRL-9, outlined as: “Demonstrated Low-Fee Manufacturing functionality in place to start Full-Fee manufacturing”
Should be certified to be used on F-35 and prepared for rapid manufacturing
Should be certified and prepared to be used on F-18 and different USG platforms following a manufacturing resolution
These necessities match the outline of BriteCloud 218, a smaller variant of the 55 mm cylindrical BriteCloud spherical which may match the two”x1”x8” U.S.-made chaff/flare dispensers, like the usual AN/ALE-47 countermeasure dispensers put in on many U.S. plane. The U.S. Air Nationwide Guard has issued a “fielding suggestion” for the decoy after the profitable completion of the International Comparative Testing on the service’s F-16 Combating Falcon fighter jets in 2022.
The discover additionally mentions that the contract award is predicted in November 2026, with deliveries set to begin “as early as 4 months, however no later than ten months after contract award.” The identical supply schedule applies to the choice years, and all AEDs have to be “delivered inside 12 months of the primary supply in every interval.”
F-35 testing
The testing of the AED on the F-35 Lightning II is just not a novelty, as NAVAIR already talked about in 2024 that F-35 plane have examined and built-in AED functionality. This resulted in a fielding resolution, though no different particulars have been disclosed, and a primary contract alternative discover for the requirement to obtain AEDs was launched in June 2024.
Aviation Week reported that in 2023 the F-35 Joint Program Workplace acquired a Saab BOL countermeasure dispenser, which may additionally make use of BriteCloud, to make use of in a flight demonstration. The BOL is put in externally and already in service with the Royal Australian Air Pressure’s F/A-18 Hornet, U.S. Air Pressure’s F-15 Eagle, Eurofighter Hurricane and the Saab Gripen.
It’s unclear how the system can be put in on the F-35, though the one logical resolution can be to put in it behind the LAU-151/A Exterior Rail Launcher used to hold the AIM-9X Sidewinder. This resolution can be much like the one used for the F-15, the place the BOL was put in behind the LAU-128 rails.
One other point out of the testing was discovered within the March 2025 press launch on the Protection Visible Data Distribution Service (DVIDS) in regards to the change of command of Service Air Wing (CVW) 2. This was listed among the many developments underneath the management of outgoing CVW 2 commander Capt. Timothy Myers, which additionally included the F-35’s first operational GBU-54 employment, the fleet’s first Lengthy Vary Anti-Ship Missile software program validation take a look at on each the Block II and Block III variants of the F/A-18E/F and routine AIM-174B operations throughout RIMPAC 2024.
The AED was recognized by its ALQ-260 designation, with press launch mentioning it was expended for the primary time by an F-35 squadron. The squadron was not recognized by the service, nonetheless CVW 2 has just one squadron which operates the F-35C, Strike Fighter Squadron (VFA) 97 “Warhawks.”
BriteCloud 218
In our 2021 exhaustive function on the BriteCloud, we reported that the system is a battery powered, self-contained cartridge providing off-board jamming – therefore the time period “energetic” – and dropped like standard chaffs and flares. The system creates a big distance between the plane and itself, so the missile and its shrapnel miss utterly the plane.
In keeping with Leonardo, BriteCloud can defeat the vast majority of RF-guided surface-to-air and air-to-air risk techniques, together with those that depend on the “home-on-jam” steerage (when the missile targets the jamming sign, harmful particularly for plane outfitted solely with an inside or podded jammer). After BriteCloud is ejected, it begins to seek for precedence threats, gathering the incoming radar pulses and cross-referencing them towards a pre-programmed risk library.
Upon discovering a match, BriteCloud’s on-board pc applies its superior algorithms to simulate a “false goal” so correct that the risk system can not detect the deception and distinguish it from the true plane. This occurs as a result of, as talked about by Leonardo, the decoy is in a position present each Doppler and vary obscuration with vary and velocity “gates” that confuse the ECCM techniques.
BriteCloud is what is called a “second era” expendable energetic decoy, which differs from the primary era decoys, generically known as additionally towed decoys, developed in direction of the top of the Chilly Battle and reliant on a cable that connects them to the plane to allow them to preserve the required distance and in addition obtain information and energy for the jamming sign.
BriteCloud is developed by Leonardo’s amenities in Luton (UK). Following the profitable checks of the 55 mm BriteCloud spherical, known as BriteCloud 55, Leonardo developed an excellent smaller variant known as BriteCloud 218 which may match the two”x1”x8” US-made chaff/flare dispensers.
Leonardo says BriteCloud requires minimal platform integration because it simply must be loaded within the chaff/flare dispensers. Due to this, the system requires little to no integration efforts with the F-35 since it will possibly match inside its current chaff dispensers, making it a type of plug-and-play functionality.
Service and testing historical past
BriteCloud is already in service with the Royal Air Pressure (RAF), which used it on the Twister GR4 after trials on the jet in 2014 and 2015, the latter in america. That take a look at noticed “intensive modelling and simulation of the varied engagement situations was carried out utilizing Tactical Engagement Simulation Software program (TESS) produced by Leonardo,” Leonardo defined. “TESS was utilised earlier than, throughout and after the trials, with wonderful correlation between the simulated and actual world information.”
The USAF has examined Leonardo’s #BriteCloud 218 DRFM Expendable Energetic Decoy (EAD) on F-16Cs. This suits the usual 2x1x8 CMD just like the AN/ALE-47. BriteCloud could exchange or complement the AN/ALE-50 “Little Buddy” Towed Decoy System presently utilized by the Vipers towards AAM/SAMs pic.twitter.com/XvOB7D3Xfa
— Sameer Joshi (@joe_sameer) September 4, 2022
Swedish protection main Saab in 2015 performed trials with BriteCloud 55s from a Gripen E, efficiently deploying the AED from the fighter. In September 2016 the RAF then bought a major variety of the decoys, a part of a second stage to increase analysis of BriteCloud’s protecting impact with the RAF’s fleet of Twister jets, and develop a ‘idea of operations’ (CONOPS).
The service cleared BriteCloud for service with the Tornados in 2018. This was adopted by Leonardo being contracted to assist a collection of trials to combine the BriteCloud 55 with the service’s Hurricane FGR4s.
The U.S. Air Nationwide Guard has additionally issued a ‘fielding suggestion’ for BriteCloud 218 as a part of a International Comparative Testing (FCT) program involving U.S. F-16 Combating Falcon fighter jets. The service subsequently designated BriteCloud 218 as AN/ALQ-260(V)1.
