US Navy orders Leonardo BriteCloud 218 active decoys for F-35 self-protection

Leonardo's BriteCloud 218 has received the US designation AN/ALQ-260(V). (Leonardo)

Leonardo's UK-based electronic warfare (EW) business has been contracted by US Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) to supply its BriteCloud 218 active expendable decoy (AED) for the Lockheed Martin F-35 Lightning II.

NAVAIR confirmed the sole-source USD32.9 million contract on 5 December 2024. BriteCloud 218 has received the US designation AN/ALQ-260(V).

Dispensed from standard chaff/flare magazines, AEDs are self-contained, expendable mini jammers designed to provide ‘endgame' protection against radio frequency (RF) threats. They function independently of the aircraft to provide an additional RF countermeasures capability.

In June NAVAIR – which contracts on behalf of the F-35 Joint Program Office – released a sources sought notice outlining plans for the fast-track procurement of an AED for the F-35 platform. Leonardo was identified in July as the only contractor to meet the requirement.

NAVAIR's top-level requirement specified a mission load-programmable AED with a 2×1×8 inch form factor that has previously demonstrated RF countermeasures performance at Technology Readiness Level 9 (defined as an actual system proven through successful mission operations). It also mandated an AED “qualified for use on F-35 and ready for immediate production”.

A justification and approval (J&A) notice for use of other-than-full-and-open competition released alongside the contract award said that only Leonardo had performed the requisite activities – including hardware-in-the-loop testing, software testing and validation, safe separation, and effectiveness testing – to qualify the AED on the F-35. The contract award, comprising one base year and one optional year, covers the supply of BriteCloud 218s plus initial spare impulse cartridges and support equipment.