The Brazilian Air Force has accepted the data package and type certificate of Denel Dynamics’ A-Darter air-to-air missile (AAM), signaling the closure of the project’s development cycle.
The A-Darter missile will arm both the F-39E/F Gripen and Gripen C/D fighter jets of Brazil and South Africa respectively (Victor Barreira)
The data package that contained the material that included all the knowledge that was produced was handed over by the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) to the Brazilian Air Force's Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA) at the end of September.
The certificate issued by DCTA’s Institute for Industrial Development and Coordination (IFI) and the Directorate System Integrity (DSI) of the South African Air Force (SAAF) to Denel Dynamics acknowledges that the technical, operational, logistical, industrial and safety requirements were met.
The end of development is expected to lead to the first production orders of the missile for Brazilian F-39E/F Gripen and SAAF’s Gripen C/D fighter jets.
The A-Darter project began in October 2006, through a contract between the Brazilian Air Force and ARMSCOR, with work carried out by Denel Dynamics, was for the development of a state-of-the-art ITAR-free wingtip 5-generation short-range air-to-air missile with lock-on after launch (LOAL) and memory tracking capabilities.
The participation of Brazilian industry, with funding by the Brazilian government agency FINEP, mainly involved Avibras Indústria Aeroespacial and Opto Space & Defense. Mectron exited the project in 2015.
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