Denel Dynamics has successfully completed the missile qualification and certification for it’s leading 5th generation Imaging Infrared (IIR) Short Range Air-to-Air Missile (SRAAM) System in September 2019.The Formal Qualification Review for the A-Darter missile has been successfully concluded by the A-Darter Development project team in August 2019. The certification authorities from Brazil and South Africa gave the final approval for the issuing of the Type Certificate in September 2019. The Institute for Industrial Development and Coordination (IFI) and Directorate System Integrity (DSI) are the responsible certification authorities in Brazil and South Africa respectively.
A ceremony was held on the 26th September 2019 in Brasilia for the presentation of the A-Darter Type Certificate to Denel Dynamics from both IFI and DSI and the handing over of the A-Darter Data Package from the Armaments Corporation of South Africa (ARMSCOR) to the Brazilian Department of Aerospace Science and Technology (DCTA).
The Type Certificate received by Denel Dynamics is the official acknowledgement that the A-Darter missile meets the technical, operational, logistical, industrial and safety requirements and therefore this concludes the development of the A-Darter missile. The Data Package is the material of all the knowledge that was produced throughout the development cycle of the A-Dater programme.
The A-Darter missile is a modern body-lift missile with thrust vector control for high angle of attack agility, a thrust profiled, low launch signature motor, a multi-element imaging infrared seeker with a look angle of 180º, and the digital processing based on the latest available hardware and software.
The A-Darter missile may be designated using the aircraft’s radar, helmet sight or the missile’s very effective autonomous scan feature if radar silence is required. A-Darter’s advanced digital processing capability ensures improved performance in terms of image detection, false target rejection, electronic-counter-counter-measures (ECCM) and guidance and control.
The missile can be integrated on the latest 4th generation and older generation fighter aircraft platforms. The A-Darter has already been fully integrated and cleared with no aircraft/missile launch restrictions on the JAS-39 Gripen C/D. The A-Darter 5th generation Imaging Infrared (IIR) SRAAM will enhance the prospective client platform’s lethality.
Denel Dynamics has already received interest in the A-Darter missile from prospective clients and is very confident that the missile’s performance will meet the expectations of the prospective clients. With the establishment of a qualified and certified A-Darter missile, South Africa and Brazil have become part of the selected few countries in the world to produce a 5th generation IIR Short Range Missile.
