The much-delayed delivery of Denel’s fifth-generation Denel V3E Agile-Darter (A-Darter) short-range air-to-air missile (SRAAM) to the South African Air Force (SAAF) will begin in October with training missiles, while operational A-Darters are expected in March or April of next year.
The A-Darter is a short-range dogfighting weapon (some seven kilometres range) but with some outstanding features. The missile has a high off-boresight capability, which means the missile can detect a target at 180 degrees from the heading of the launch aircraft.
Further, the A-Darter has Lock on Before Launch (LOBL) and Lock on After Launch (LOAL) capability, which means that the initial lock is achieved while the missile is still on the aircraft’s wingtip and the Lock on After is engaged by the A-Darter’s optical seeker head after the missile is fired.
The seeker is an Imaging Infrared (IIR) dual colour optical head which can detect between chaff and flares and the target. The missile can handle 80 Gs. Even if the missile is fired at a target coming from the front, and it passes the pilot, the missile will make a U-turn and follow the target.
The missile uses a fragmentation warhead with a proximity fuse from RDM (Rheinmetall Denel Munition) as well as an electronic safety and arm device which prevents the warhead detonating prematurely, as well as actuators and other items coming from RDM in South Africa.
Denel Dynamics in 2006 began development of the A-Darter in collaboration with Brazil. After delays due to state capture and other issues at Denel, Armscor and the South African Air Force decided to create an assembly line and establish a Manufacturing Baseline (MBL) which means everything is ready to mass produce the item, apart from one subsystem outstanding.
A committee has been formed to work air force to air force, government to government, so that Brazil can manufacture the missile, but it’s not clear if Brazil will end up doing so.
There was an attempt to get the A-Darter qualified on the new SAAB Gripen E, but although this was unsuccessful, the project is being resurrected.
Denel is contracted to deliver eight practice missiles, 21 trainer missiles, and 41 operational missiles to the SAAF for its Gripen C/D fighters.
