AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system

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AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system - Wikipedia

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(Redirected from ALE-50 Towed Decoy System)

AN/ALE-50
Radar jamming and deception towed decoy
ALE-50 towed decoy system in the upper part of an F-16 Fighting Falcon wing pylon
Status	In use
Manufacturing Info
Manufacturer	Raytheon
Designer	Raytheon
Introduced	1996; 29 years ago (1996)
No. Produced	>25,000^{[citation needed]}
Usage
Used by Military	US Air Force US Marine Corps US Navy
Used by Aircraft	B-1B Lancer F-16 Fighting Falcon F/A-18E/F Super Hornet

The AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system is an electronic countermeasure system designed by Raytheon to protect multiple US military aircraft from air-to-air and surface-to-air radar-guided missiles.^[1] The ALE-50 towed decoy system is an anti-missile countermeasures decoy used on U.S. Air Force, Navy, and Marine Corps aircraft, and by certain non-United States air forces. The system is manufactured by Raytheon Space and Airborne Systems (now RTX Corporation) at its facility in Goleta, California. The ALE-50 system consists of a launcher and launch controller installed on the aircraft (usually on a wing pylon), with one or more expendable towed decoys. Each decoy is delivered in a sealed canister with a ten-year shelf life.^[2]

Description

When deployed, the decoy is towed behind the host aircraft, protecting the aircraft and its crew against RF-guided missiles luring the missile toward the decoy and away from the intended target. In both flight tests and actual combat, the ALE-50 successfully countered numerous live firings of both air-to-air and surface-to-air missiles. U.S. military pilots nicknamed the decoy "Little Buddy".^[3] The system requires no threat-specific software, and communicates its health and status to the aircraft over a standard data bus.^[4]

In accordance with the Joint Electronics Type Designation System (JETDS), the "AN/ALE-50" designation represents the 50th design of an Army-Navy airborne electronic device for countermeasures ejection/release equipment. The JETDS system also now is used to name all Department of Defense and some NATO electronic systems.

Operational history

The ALE-50 was first delivered in 1996,^[3] and is used on the B-1B Lancer and as late as 2020, the F/A-18E/F Super Hornet.^[5] The ALE-50 has also been integrated into the next-generation AN/ALQ-184(V)9 ECM pod,^[6] creating an integrated threat-protection system capable of being carried on a larger number of platforms.

The expendable decoys' estimated value is $22,000 each. A production run of 1,048 units were delivered through October 2010.^[3]

In a September 2014 US$9,414,000 (equivalent to $12,503,920 in 2024) firm-fixed-price delivery order, Raytheon's Electronic Warfare Systems in Goleta was contracted for an additional 226 units of ALE-50 Bravo T3F launchers for U.S. Navy F/A-18 E/F aircraft.^[7]

As of 2008, the ALE-50 towed decoy was operational on the F-16 Fighting Falcon, F/A-18E/F Super Hornet, and B-1B Lancer aircraft.^[8]^[9]

References

^ "Raytheon repairs towed decoys for Super Hornets". Shepard News. 8 December 2021. Archived from the original on 8 December 2021. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ Colman, Ron (2001). "AN/ALE-50 Towed Decoy System". Raytheon Electronic Systems. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ ^a ^b ^c "Raytheon's ALE-50 "Little Buddy" Decoys". Defense Industry Daily. 24 April 2020. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
^ Trikha, Air Marshall A K (March 2012). "Electronic Warfare - Countering Missile Threats". SP's Aviation. Archived from the original on 8 January 2022. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^ "Contracts For April 22, 2020". US Department of Defense. 22 April 2020. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.
^ "ALQ-184(V) – Archived 04/2003". Forecast International.com. April 2002. Retrieved 28 September 2025.
^ "Local Navy Contract Awards". Southern Maryland Online. 25 September 2014. Archived from the original on 15 November 2020. Retrieved 8 January 2022.
^ "AN/ALE-50 Towed Decoy System". Raytheon.com. 2008. Archived from the original on 14 September 2008. Retrieved 26 September 2025.
^ Keller, John (14 June 2019). "Raytheon to demonstrate electronic warfare (EW) towed decoy aircraft protection from radar-guided missiles". Military Aerospace Electronics. Archived from the original on 4 January 2022. Retrieved 3 January 2022.

v t e Raytheon
Subsidiaries	A.C. Cossor ELCAN Optical Technologies Raytheon BBN Raytheon Missiles & Defense Raytheon Intelligence, Information and Services HRB Systems Raytheon Polar Services Company Sarcos ThalesRaytheonSystems
Products	AGM-65 Maverick AGM-88 HARM AGM-129 ACM AGM-154 Joint Standoff Weapon AGM-176 Griffin AIM-9 Sidewinder AIM-54 Phoenix AIM-120 AMRAAM AN/ALE-50 towed decoy system AN/ALR-67 radar warning receiver AN/ALE-47 AN/APG-63 radar family AN/APG-65 radar family AN/APG-79 AN/APQ-181 AN/AQS-20A AN/ASQ-213 AN/ASQ-228 ATFLIR AN/AWG-9 AN/MPQ-64 Sentinel AN/MSQ-18 Battalion Missile Operations System AN/PAS-13 AN/SLQ-32 electronic warfare suite AN/SPS-49 AN/SQQ-32 mine-hunting sonar AN/TPQ-36 Firefinder radar AN/TPQ-37 Firefinder radar AN/TPQ-53 Quick Reaction Capability Radar ASARS-2 Beechcraft AQM-37 Jayhawk Tomahawk Controlled Impact Rescue Tool Counter rocket, artillery, and mortar Coyote FGM-148 Javelin FIM-92 Stinger FMRAAM GBU-53/B StormBreaker Ground-Based Midcourse Defense JLENS Lectron Long-Range Engagement Weapon Mark 48 torpedo Mark 54 lightweight torpedo MIM-23 Hawk MIM-104 Patriot Network Centric Airborne Defense Element Next Generation Jammer Paveway Paveway IV Phalanx CIWS Pyros RAYDAC RIM-116 Rolling Airframe Missile RIM-66 Standard RIM-67 Standard RIM-161 Standard Missile 3 Sea-based X-band radar Sentinel SLAMRAAM Space Fence Vigilant Eagle XM501 non-line-of-sight launch system
Related	RTX Corporation Raytheon 9 Vannevar Bush

Electronic Warfare of the United States Armed Forces

Active Countermeasures (Jamming)

Electronic Attack Systems	AN/ALE-50 AN/ALE-55 AN/ALQ-99 AN/ALQ-101 AN/ALQ-126 AN/ALQ-135 AN/ALQ-172 AN/ALQ-221 AN/ALQ-260 AN/SLQ-25 AN/SLQ-32
Flare and Chaff Decoy Systems	AN/ALE-47 AN/SLQ-49
Directional IRCM Systems	AN/AAQ-24 AN/ALQ-144 AN/ALQ-147 AN/ALQ-157

Passive Radar Warning Receivers

Missile Warning Systems

Dedicated ECM / ESM aircraft

Crewed

Electronic Attack	EA-3 Skywarrior EA-6B Prowler EA-18G Growler EA-37B Compass Call EB-57A Canberra EB-66C/E Destroyer EC-130H Compass Call EF-10B Skyknight EF-111A Raven
ISTAR ESM	Boeing RC-135 EC-121M Warning Star EP-3 Aries ES-3A Shadow RB-47H/ERB-47H Stratojet MC-12W Liberty RB-50G Superfortress RB-52B/C Stratofortress RB-57D-1/-2 Canberra RB-57F Canberra RB-66C Destroyer RC-12 Guardrail SR-71 Blackbird U-2 Dragonlady

Uncrewed

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References