U.S. Navy Orders Leonardo UK BriteCloud Missile Defense Decoys for F-35 Fighter Jet Self-Protection.

The U.S. Navy has formally awarded Leonardo UK a sole-source contract to equip the F-35 Lightning II with the BriteCloud Active Expendable Decoy, designated AN ALQ 260(V). The decision strengthens Navy fighter survivability against increasingly capable radio frequency guided missiles and confirms negotiations that have been underway for more than a year.

The U.S. Naval Air Systems Command confirmed on December 23, 2025, that Leonardo UK has received a sole-source contract to provide its BriteCloud Active Expendable Decoy for integration on the Navy’s F-35 Lightning II fleet. Designated by the U.S. military as the AN ALQ 260(V), the system is intended to counter advanced radio frequency guided missile threats and marks a significant milestone following extended discussions between the Navy and industry throughout 2024 and 2025, according to defense officials familiar with the program.
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The introduction of an expendable active decoy adds a critical outer layer to the F-35’s defensive system, extending survivability once stealth advantages begin to erode (Picture source: US DoD)

The contract was disclosed through an official U.S. Government procurement notice dated December 23, 2025, covering the acquisition of an undisclosed number of Active Expendable Decoys, together with initial spare impulse cartridges, test equipment, and dedicated support assets required to sustain fleet operations. Structured as a base year with up to one option year, the agreement does not publicly disclose its total value or quantities. However, defense officials familiar with internal Navy planning told Army Recognition that earlier projections pointed to a potential requirement of up to 6,000 decoys, a scale consistent with sustained F-35C carrier air wing operations and expeditionary F-35B deployments.

NAVAIR justified the sole-source nature of the award by pointing to more than 14 years of joint research, development, integration, and testing conducted with Leonardo UK in close cooperation with the UK Ministry of Defence. The contract notice states that awarding the program to any alternative supplier would result in an unacceptable delay of approximately eight years. Navy subject matter experts assessed that a new entrant would require at least four years to achieve the required level of technical maturity, three additional years to complete safe separation, software validation, and effectiveness testing on the F-35, and a further year to establish manufacturing readiness for low-rate initial production. In the context of accelerating missile proliferation and evolving electronic counter-countermeasures, NAVAIR concluded that Leonardo UK is the only responsible source capable of meeting operational timelines without disrupting fleet fielding schedules.

Operationally, the decision reflects a clear acknowledgment of a long-recognized limitation in the F-35’s self-protection architecture. The F-35 combines low observable shaping, internal weapons carriage, and advanced sensor fusion driven by its AN-APG-81 AESA radar and Distributed Aperture System, all managed through a highly automated mission system designed to reduce pilot workload. However, while the aircraft is equipped with the BAE Systems ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite, capable of threat detection, geolocation, and electronic attack, it does not employ conventional chaff. Its defensive concept relies heavily on onboard electronic attack and a limited inventory of ALE-70 fiber-optic towed decoys, which can constrain endurance during repeated engagements in dense threat environments.

The introduction of an expendable active decoy adds a critical outer layer to the F-35’s defensive system, extending survivability once stealth advantages begin to erode. In a high-end conflict scenario, where the aircraft may be exposed to multiple engagement zones during deep strike, suppression of enemy air defenses, or carrier-based power projection missions, the availability of BriteCloud provides an additional means of breaking missile lock and preserving the aircraft’s low observable profile without relying solely on continuous onboard jamming.

The system selected aligns with the BriteCloud 218 variant, a compact derivative of Leonardo’s original 55 mm BriteCloud round. Measuring 2 inches by 1 inch by 8 inches, the BriteCloud 218 is designed to be compatible with standard U.S.-made countermeasure dispensers such as the AN-ALE-47, enabling rapid fielding without major aircraft modification. The decoy meets Navy requirements for full mission programmability under U.S. government control, demonstrated radio-frequency countermeasure effectiveness at Technology Readiness Level 9, and Manufacturing Readiness Level 9, confirming proven performance in operationally relevant conditions and established low-rate production capability.

The U.S. Air National Guard’s Foreign Comparative Testing program played a key enabling role in validating the technology for U.S. service. Following successful trials on F-16 Fighting Falcon aircraft in 2022, the Guard issued a formal fielding recommendation, confirming both the decoy’s effectiveness against representative threats and its minimal integration burden. Navy officials told Army Recognition that these results provided a high degree of confidence that the system could transition to the F-35 with limited software updates and no structural changes to the airframe, preserving the aircraft’s signature management characteristics.

From a technical standpoint, BriteCloud represents a second-generation expendable active decoy. Unlike legacy towed decoys that remain physically connected to the aircraft by a cable to receive power and data, BriteCloud is a fully self-contained, battery-powered jammer deployed in the same manner as a conventional flare or chaff cartridge. Once ejected, it rapidly creates spatial separation from the host aircraft, presenting itself as a more attractive target to incoming missiles. Its onboard processor analyzes received radar signals, cross-references them with a preloaded threat library, and generates a highly realistic false target by manipulating Doppler, range, and velocity parameters.

Leonardo engineers emphasize that the decoy’s ability to provide simultaneous range and velocity gate pull-off is critical against modern missiles equipped with advanced electronic counter-countermeasures, including home-on-jam seekers designed to exploit traditional jamming emissions. By simulating a target signature that closely matches or exceeds that of the aircraft, BriteCloud draws the missile away entirely, ensuring that both the interceptor and its fragmentation pattern miss the protected platform.

Production timelines outlined in the contract notice indicate that initial deliveries could begin as early as four months after contract award, and no later than ten months, with all decoys delivered within twelve months of the first shipment for each contract period. Annual procurement volumes are expected to range between 3,000 and 6,000 units, supported by spare components, repairs, and on-site field service representatives. While the F-35 has already completed integration and testing leading to a formal fielding decision, a separate decision regarding integration on the F-A-18E-F Super Hornet and EA-18G Growler fleets is anticipated around 2027.

Strategically, the award highlights the U.S. Navy’s recognition that stealth alone is no longer sufficient against proliferating high-frequency radars and networked missile systems. By combining low observability, sensor fusion, advanced onboard electronic warfare, towed decoys, and now expendable active decoys, the F-35 is being shaped into a far more resilient multi-domain strike platform for high-end conflict. For Leonardo UK, the contract firmly establishes BriteCloud as a core element of Western airborne self-protection at a time when electronic warfare is once again emerging as a decisive factor in modern air combat.