U.S. clears purchase of Leonardo BriteCloud decoys for F-35

The US Navy has moved to sole source Leonardo UK’s BriteCloud active expendable decoy under the AN/ALQ-260(V) designation, according to a newly released Class Justification and Approval (CJ&A) document from Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR).

A newly released Class Justification and Approval document, signed by Naval Air Systems Command, authorises a sole-source contract to Leonardo UK for the manufacture of the AN/ALQ-260(V) and associated impulse cartridges and support equipment. The justification cites 14 years of joint US-UK development and warns that switching supplier would cause an eight-year delay to fielding.

The document states: “Award of this contract to any source other than Leonardo UK, LTD would result in an unacceptable delay of eight years… Any interruption in production would pose critical setbacks to current schedules and fielding requirements.”

The ALQ-260 designation applies to the 2:1:8 BriteCloud variant. That round adapts Leonardo’s original 55 mm cylindrical decoy into a 2×1×8 inch brick designed for US ALE-47 square dispensers. It is compatible with the dispensers fitted to platforms including F-35, F-15 and F-16, rather than the cylindrical launchers used by Typhoon.

Michael Lea, Vice President of Sales for Leonardo Electronics UK’s EW division, told reporters at DSEI: “We are now in a happy position where we can confirm that ALQ-260 is indeed BriteCloud, in the 2:1:8 format.” He said the round “works well on the ALE-47 dispenser fitted to F-35,” is being integrated on F-18 and has been assessed from F-16 with “a very positive fielding recommendation.” According to the firm, the US Air National Guard has already issued a positive recommendation following comparative testing on F-16.

Leonardo is framing the development as an inflection point for allied standardisation. Lea told UK Defence Journal earlier this year: “We should have a fleet wide Nato embodiment of BriteCloud onto F-35. After the US went public, we had a range of inquiries come in.”

This forms part of a wider effort the company set out in London. At DSEI 2025, Leonardo positioned itself as the business underpinning NATO’s return to serious electronic warfare mass, presenting BriteCloud alongside BriteStorm jamming payloads, and Typhoon’s ECRS Mk2 radar and EuroDASS upgrades as the foundations of a nascent electronic attack force. The thread is the idea of integrated combat air architecture rather than isolated national programmes.

Lea added that development continues at the top end of the product line. The higher power cylindrical 55T variant is in trials with “significant interest in the US” and the company “will probably have our first operational, customised frontline-deployed 55T capability during 2026.” The 55T retains the 55 mm form factor but is intended for larger aircraft with higher radar cross-sections and has been upgraded to NATO standards for self-protection systems, including communication with smart dispensers and support for automated logistics tracking.

The procurement decision gives Leonardo’s UK-built countermeasure a recognised US designation and formal backing from the US Navy. That, coupled with existing RAF integration and ongoing work with European partners, places the programme at the centre of an emerging interoperability effort among combat air users equipped with the ALE-47 dispenser family and F-35 fleets.

How does it work?

The BriteCloud 218 is an expendable electronic decoy built around Digital Radio Frequency Memory technology. Once dispensed from a standard 2×1×8 inch countermeasure slot, it powers up and captures incoming radar signals from tracking systems or missile seekers. It then retransmits altered versions of those signals with timing, frequency, and power profiles configured to appear as a valid target with its own radar cross-section and motion. This process aims to break the missile’s lock by presenting a more attractive radar return than the aircraft itself.

The decoy operates autonomously after launch, with an onboard processor, battery, and transmitter contained in a sealed unit. Its effectiveness depends on accurately reproducing threat radar characteristics, so the firmware is tuned around known emitter types and guidance modes. The 218 format was created to fit existing square dispenser systems like AN/ALE-47 and AN/ALE-57, which allows integration on platforms such as F-16s and F-35s without additional hardware. It represents a shift toward off-board countermeasures that project jamming and deception away from the aircraft, reducing the usefulness of home-on-jam seekers and increasing the chance of a break in guidance.