WASHINGTON, D.C., December 29, 2025 — In a major boost to fighter survivability against modern air-defence threats, the U.S. Navy has formally awarded Leonardo UK a sole-source contract to supply its BriteCloud Active Expendable Decoy (AED) system, designated by the U.S. military as AN/ALQ-260(V), for integration on the F-35 Lightning II family of stealth fighters. The award concludes more than one year of negotiations between Naval Air Systems Command (NAVAIR) and industry, reflecting ongoing efforts to enhance F-35 defensive capabilities.
The official contract notice, released on December 23, 2025, confirms that Leonardo UK will deliver an undisclosed quantity of BriteCloud Active Expendable Decoys, along with initial spare impulse cartridges, test equipment, and other support assets required to sustain fleet operations. The agreement is structured as a base year with one optional follow-on year. While the total contract value and exact delivery numbers were not disclosed, internal Navy planning documents previously projected that overall requirements could reach up to 6,000 decoys, supporting sustained F-35C carrier air wing operations and expeditionary F-35B deployments.
Officials within NAVAIR justified the sole-source award by highlighting more than 14 years of collaborative research, development, integration, and testing between Leonardo UK and the UK Ministry of Defence. According to acquisition officials, selecting an alternative supplier would have jeopardised the programme and delayed operational fielding by up to eight years, an outcome deemed unacceptable amid the rapid proliferation and sophistication of RF-guided missile threats.
The AN/ALQ-260(V) BriteCloud adds a critical outer layer to the F-35 self-protection architecture, specifically designed to counter radio-frequency (RF) guided missiles and advanced fire-control radars that increasingly challenge even low-observable aircraft. Although the Joint Strike Fighter already fields the advanced BAE Systems AN/ASQ-239 electronic warfare suite, including limited towed decoy capability, its stealth-centric defensive concept has historically lacked a robust expendable active decoy. BriteCloud fills this gap, extending aircraft survivability once stealth advantages begin to erode in highly contested environments.
Technically, the decoy operates as a self-contained, battery-powered Radio Frequency Countermeasure (RFCM) employing Digital Radio Frequency Memory (DRFM) technology. Once deployed, it captures, modifies, and retransmits hostile radar signals, creating a convincing false target that draws missile seekers away from the host aircraft. The system can be launched from standard chaff and flare dispensers, including the widely used AN/ALE-47, enabling rapid integration without major aircraft modification.
Originally developed in the United Kingdom, BriteCloud has been under development for more than a decade and is widely recognised as the world’s first DRFM-based expendable active decoy for fast-jet survivability. The system has undergone extensive trials with allied air forces, including the U.S. Air National Guard, which previously recommended the BriteCloud 218 variant following comparative testing on F-16 fighter aircraft. Members of the BriteCloud family have also been evaluated or integrated on platforms such as the Eurofighter Typhoon, Tornado, and MQ-9 unmanned aerial vehicles.
Under its U.S. designation, the compact BriteCloud 218—measuring approximately 2 × 1 × 8 inches—forms the basis of the AN/ALQ-260(V) approved for F-35 service, optimised for square-format dispensers while providing effective RF deception against both surface-to-air and air-to-air missile seekers.
Defence analysts assess that integrating BriteCloud onto the F-35 fleet represents a significant advance in tactical survivability, particularly in scenarios where integrated air-defence systems pose lethal risks to penetrating strike aircraft. By fielding an active expendable decoy capability, the U.S. Navy expects to improve mission success rates, pilot safety, and operational resilience during carrier-based and expeditionary operations.
While delivery schedules and initial operational capability timelines remain undisclosed, industry sources suggest that early fielding could begin within one year of contract award, with procurement volumes scaling to meet fleet-wide requirements through the late 2020s. As threat systems continue to evolve, the Navy’s move toward layered electronic warfare and countermeasure solutions underscores a broader shift in maintaining the combat relevance of fifth-generation fighters in future high-intensity conflicts.
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