OVERVIEW: GEN‑X (RT‑1489/ALE), standing for Generic Expendable, is an active RF decoy designed to counter radar-guided missile threats. It is dispensed from standard aircraft countermeasure systems like AN/ALE‑39 and AN/ALE‑47 and emits jamming signals to decoy incoming missiles during their terminal phase.

DETAILS: GEN‑X was fielded by the U.S. Navy in the early 1990s, entering official service around 1997. The decoy weighs about 1 kg, measures approximately 5.8 inches long by 1.35 inches in diameter, and contains gallium-arsenide MMIC circuitry with a spiral nose antenna for signal reception and retransmission. It is discharged using impulse cartridges (e.g., CCU-63/B or CCU-136/A) and delivers high-frequency jamming during the missile’s final attack phase to break radar lock.

FUNCTION:
It is dispensed from AN/ALE‑39 or AN/ALE‑47 countermeasure dispensers.
Once deployed, it detects radar pulses, then amplifies and retransmits them as a jamming signal.
This generates a deceptive radar return that severs seeker lock and diverts radar-guided missiles away from the aircraft.

SOURCE:
U.S. Navy Training System Plan – Airborne Expendable Countermeasures: https://www.globalsecurity.org/military/library/policy/navy/ntsp/aecm-a_2001.pdf ; Microwaves101 – Electronic Decoys: https://www.microwaves101.com/encyclopedias/electronic-decoys ; U.S. Navy “RT-1489/ALE Generic Expendable Decoy” NNWS page via NavalNews: https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news/2024/02/us-navy-seeks-new-active-expendable-decoy-to-protect-aircraft/