Yesterday, in a move that seemingly has yet to reach SA’s media, Brazil agreed to join the development program for Denel’s A-Darter air-to-air missile. Under the agreement, the For?A?a Brasileira (Brazilian Air Force) will commit an initial $52 million, set to rise to between $100 million and $130 million as the missile completes its final development and enters service. In return, Brazil’s Mectron will join the development team and receive the required technology to co-operate in the production process

This is fantastic news for Denel, and indeed for the South African Air Force, which had been reluctant to commit to the A-Darter’s final development due to the high cost involved. Now that Brazil is partnering SA on its development, the SAAF will not only be able to spend less initially, but it should be able to obtain each missile for a lower price due to the increased volume of orders that will come from Brazil, thanks to increased economies of scale.

The A-Darter itself is a very impressive missile, and on paper at least it’s the equal to any of its competitors on the market. It’s a short-range Infrared (IR)-guided missile, with an advanced two-colour infrared seeker combined with sophisticated target recognition software that gives it good protection against countermeasures such as flares. It also has a “memory” function, known as Lock-On After Launch (LOAL), that’s still pretty rare in air-to-air missiles, which allows it to be fired towards a target out of its seeker range, after which it will automatically search for and track the target once it’s within range. This is especially useful when firing the missile at targets behind one’s aircraft (using a helmet-mounted cueing system). The missile’s high maneuverability is also exceptional, as it has thrust-vectoring controls that allow it to achieve peak turn rates that reach 100Gs, a phenomenal figure unmatched by any missile in service.

In addition to this, the FAB has purchased 10 of Denel’s radar-guided R-Darter Beyond Visual Range (BVR) missiles for trials with its F-5M fleet. If these prove successful, Denel may soon be receiving a large order for R-Darters to go along with the good news of the A-Darter partnership. If so, it’ll go a long way towards reviving Denel’s fortunes. Moreover, if Denel survives (which it probably will), it’s nice to see that it might have more to do with selling a good product than receiving generous government bailouts.