The Brazilian subsidiary of South African missile and unmanned air vehicle company Denel Dynamics, Denel do Brasil, will soon complete a report into the potential Brazilian supply chain for the manufacture of the A-Darter infrared (IR) homing air-to-air missile (AAM) in the South American country. Late last year, the Brazilian Air Force (Força Aérea Brasileira – FAB) awarded Denel do Brasil a 1.4-million reais (about R6.5-million) contract to carry out a review of Brazilian companies which had the capability to take part or take an interest in the programme. Industrial Park

“By April, we are going to hand over to the FAB the report into the national industrial park,” Denel do Brasil representative Everton de Paula told O Vale newspaper. He added that there were a number of local companies that could contribute components and services to the Brazilian production line.

The A-Darter is being jointly developed by South Africa and Brazil. It is a fifth-generation AAM, highly agile, lightweight (with a mass of 93 kg) and, with a lock-on after launch capability, it can be launched against targets even when they are out of the range of its IR seeker. It is 2.98 m long and has a diameter of 166 mm.

Once development is completed, the missile will be built on two production lines, one in each country. The assembly of the first prototype Brazilian-made A-Darters should start this year. The first production missiles should be delivered to the FAB during 2015.(Production in South Africa could start this year.) Missile Manufacturer In South Africa, the A-Darter will be used on Gripen fighters and Hawk fighter-trainers, while, in Brazil, it will be employed by modernised F-5M fighters and probably also by A-1M attack jets.

Under the leadership of Denel Dynamics, which is part of State-owned defence industrial group Denel, the Brazilian companies that are partners in the programme are Mectron, Avibras and Opto Eletrônica. Mectron is Brazil’s missile manu- facturer, producing all the country’s missiles, namely the MAA-1 and MAA-1B Piranha IR-homing AAMs, the MAR-1 antiradar missile and the MSS-1.2 anti-armour missile.

Avibrás is a Brazilian defence company best known for its Astros family of surface-to-surface bombardment rockets. In the A-Darter programme, it is involved in the development of the rocket motor for the missile. Opto Eletrônica produces lenses, mirrors and proximity fuses, and has supplied components to Brazilian national missile projects, as well as to the country’s space programme (particularly high and medium resolution imagers for the China Brazil Earth Observation Satellite programme).

Separately, during the first week of this month, the first meeting of the South Africa/Brazil Joint Defence Committee took place in Brasília. The meeting was opened by Brazilian Defence Minister Celso Amorim, who expressed the view that the two countries were partners with great potential. International Order He pointed out that both were large multiethnic democracies which enjoyed important influence in their respective regions and supported a multipolar international order which included emerging countries in global governance. He cited the A-Darter programme as proof of this potential.

The South African delegation was led by the Chief of the South African Air Force, Lieutenant-General Fabian Msimang. The committee is composed of military and civilian personnel and representatives of the defence industries of both countries. During this first meeting, each side briefed the other about its national defence strategy, defence industry and defence technology. The Brazilians, who have major defence acquisition programmes under way or planned, also gave briefings on these.