Ukraine integrates US MALD decoy missiles onto Soviet Su-27 Flanker fighter jets
August 25, 2025
Newly released footage shows that Ukraine has integrated US-made ADM-160 Miniature Air Launched Decoy (MALD) into its Sukhoi Su-27 Flanker fighter jets.
This marks another development in the saga of fitting Soviet jets to carry incompatible modern Western munitions.
Ukraine seen integrating MALD missiles onto Su-27 Flankers
The Rathyeon ADM-160 MALD is a small cruise missile-like weapon. Ratheon says it is “a low-cost, expendable, air-launched craft that deceives the most advanced enemy integrated air defence systems while keeping pilots and aircraft out of harm’s way. The programmable weapon duplicates the combat flight profiles and signatures of US and allied aircraft.”
Footage shows a Ukrainian Su-27 carrying two MALD decoys under its inboard underwing hardpoints. According to The War Zone, Ukraine had previously been known to integrate the missile onto its MiG-29 fighter jets. The decoy missile first appeared in May 2023.
Powered by a small turbojet, the MALD plays an important role in distracting and confusing Russian air defences. This ensures Ukrainian missiles and strike packages to have a better chance of making it through and hitting their targets. Ukraine is also gearing up to put its own heavy cruise FP-5 Flamingo missile into mass production.
The use of the missile likely also benefits the United States. When used against Russia’s newest and most capable air defence systems, it can gather valuable intelligence and feed that back to mission planners and electronic warfare specialists. Almost certainly, this information finds its way back to the US.
Jerry-rigging Soviet fighter jets to carry Western munitions
The War Zone notes that the MALD is carried by the same specially adapted underwing pylon that’s used to carry other Western munitions. Soviet jets do not have compatible software and systems to operate Western munitions. This has forced planners to jerry-rig workarounds.
TWZ explains, “This pylon is understood to help cue GPS-assisted guidance systems…. which is critical to the weapon’s navigation system.”
Much of the legwork to integrate the MALD onto the Su-27 had likely already been done, given that it was already carried by MiG-29s. The pylon is also known to carry French-made Hammer rocket-boosted guided bombs and US JDAM-ER glide bombs.
🇺🇦 Su-27 fighter with two ADM-160 MALD decoy missiles undergoing programming by personnel of the 39th Bomber Aviation Brigade for joint employment with Su-24M armed with Storm Shadow missiles pic.twitter.com/4W7MVtHIGV
— 𝔗𝔥𝔢 𝕯𝔢𝔞𝔡 𝕯𝔦𝔰𝔱𝔯𝔦𝔠𝔱△ 🇬🇪🇺🇦🇺🇲🇬🇷 (@TheDeadDistrict) August 23, 2025
Perhaps most famously, Ukrainian Su-24 Fencers were modified to carry Anglo-French Storm Shadow SCALP-EG cruise missiles, which Ukraine was even able to sink Russian ships with.
The state of Ukraine’s air force
The Su-27 was the main frontline fighter jet of the Soviet Union when it collapsed. Ukraine inherited a fleet of these jets, while Russia has mostly retired them, replacing them with their upgraded variants designated the Su-30 and Su-35.
After 3.5 years of attrition war, Ukraine still retains a significant fleet of its original fighter jets. While more Su-25 Frogfoots and MiG-29 Fulcrums have been supplied to Ukraine, there have not been any known Su-27 or Su-24 Fencer donations. Any of these aircraft still flying are original Ukrainian jets.
According to the open-source Oryx blog, Ukraine is confirmed to have lost 33 MiG-29s, 17 Su-27s, 23 Su-25s, 20 Su-24s, four F-16s, and one Mirage 2000-5 over the course of the conflict. It has received at least four Su-24s, 24 MiG-29s, a few low-dozen F-16s, at at least four Mirage 2000-5s. Some of these were non-optional and were supplied for parts.
Ukraine is currently transitioning to more capable and less tired Western fighter jets, notably the F-16 Fighting Falcon and French Mirage 2000. As these jets take over from Ukraine’s dwindling pool of worn-out Soviet jets, these sorts of MALD jerry-rigs should become a thing of the past.
🔥BREAKING: The SBU has released unique footage from the special operation "Spiderweb"
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) June 4, 2025
The video captures FPV drone strikes by the SBU on four enemy airfields: Olenya, Ivanovo, Dyagilevo, and Belaya. Among the aircraft hit are the A-50, Tu-95, Tu-22 as well as the An-12. pic.twitter.com/Jyu0bjwBvO
Seperately, Ukraine has recently shown it has developed a new mobile system to help maintain its F-16s and keep them dispersed to avoid Russian attacks, while Le Monde reported France will supply 20 Mirage 2000s, up from the previously planned ten.
