... a um tempo atras eu conheci um cara em um forum paquistanes que sabia de muitas informações sobre o desenvolvimento do A-Darter, então eu mandei o seguinte e-mail pra ele:charotti escreveu:nao ha mais nenhuma noticia da parceria da AFRICA DO SUL com o BRASIL sobre A-DARTER
... e então ele me respondeu com as seguintes informações:Hello friend.
I am Brazilian, I have a blog here in Brazil and would like to know if you have more information on the joint development of the A-Darter missile. Not enough information here, just know that this missile is being developed jointly (South Africa / Brazil), with participation of the Brazilian company MECTRON.
If you can help me with information please contact the forum here or by e-mail: santacatarinabr@zipmail.com.br
And I descupe by bad English, not speak English, this is the translation GOOGLE TRANSLATOR
Thank you, hug!
... não traduzi estas informações no google tradutor ainda, porque ja sei que não vai adiantar nada, alguem que fala o "inglês bem dizido" vê se tem algo diferente do que nós ja sabemos aiH!Dear friend
I compiled this information to you in English as some of it was in the local language of Afrikaans. I am sure much of the information will be known by you and there will be some duplication of information but I include it anyway. All this information is available in the public domain and thus unclassified.
The A-Darter Program
The A-Darter missile is expected to be a 5th generation weapon, with a number of important capabilities and design decisions similar to ASRAAM. It will use modern thermal imaging technology with a wide “bore sight angle” for targeting, working with a helmet-mounted look and shoot sight to maximize the usefulness of that “high off-bore sight” capability. A-Darter also uses a very similar streamlined design to maximize range. To take maximum advantage of that design decision, lock-on after launch capability will allow it to fly to an area specified by the launching aircraft by using an inertial navigation system from BAE Systems (now divested as Atlantic Inertial Systems), before acquiring the target with its seeker head. There is no word, however, on whether the missile’s data link is intended to allow for updates in flight, in order to prevent the wrong target from being engaged once it reaches the end of its inertial navigation. (answer classified)
Denel says that “Current contracts exceed R1 billion [currently about $145 million] in total and future export contracts are expected to add another R2 billion over this fifteen-year period.”(there will be continual development and improvement on the missile for at leas 15 years)
In such a crowded SRAAM market, where integration of a non-standard weapon can be a difficult and expensive endeavour, a new missile can be a difficult sell. A clue to its positioning may be provided by the Denel statement:
“The co-development of the missile… not only brings much-needed skills, training and technology transfer to the country, but reinforces the South-South co-operation initiated by President Thabo Mbeki and his counterpart.” (Making RSA and Brazil less dependant on NATO technology and supply during situation of conflict. It means we can not be sanctioned and it also means our enemies will not know exactly what the missile capabilities are)
This is certainly an explanation of the industrial strategy involved, which seeks to boost the indigenous aerospace industries in both countries. It may also be a lead-in to the missile’s marketing in many countries, as a no strings attached weapon with a so-called non-aligned positioning. Whether this marketing approach will be successful remains to be seen. First, of course, the missile development itself must succeed.
The A-Darter is designed to work with MIL-STD-1553 systems, and use common LAU-7 type launchers (NATO standard). It will equip South Africa’s Gripen and Hawk trainer/ light attack aircraft, and will replace the indigenous Mectron MAA-1 Piranha missile in Brazil. Brazil’s upgraded F5 are an agreed-upon platform; the A-4 Skyhawks that fly from the Brazilian Carrier Sao Paulo (formerly FMS Foch).
Brazil’s other SRAAM-capable aircraft include the FAB’s Italo-Brazilian AMX and indigenous Super Tucano. Cooperation with Elbit of Israel will give the F-5M, AMX, and EMB-314 aircraft a very similar set of avionics, which is likely to make common missile integration easier; While a certain amount of development has already been completed by Denel, Brazil’s FAB gives an expected in-service date of 2015. There are estimates that Brazil’s 50% share of the remaining development costs could rise to over $100 million before the missile is complete. At present, $52 million is allocated.
Meanwhile, 10 Brazilian air force members have begun work on the program at the Denel Dynamics plant, to be joined by another 20 people from “the Brazilian defence companies.” The FAB’s Aerospace Technical Centre (CTA) will assemble the Brazilian industrial end of the deal; include Mectron, Avibras, and Atech.
Contracts and Key Events
Sept 22/10: Denel Dynamics CEO Jan Wessels, who sees a bright market future for the A-Darter.
“In 10 years time I predict that a significant percentage of the missile business in the developing world will be kept among themselves, with many of them getting their sourced technology from South Africa…. We will see as a percentage of the missile market the developing countries share possibly doubling to 20 percent, and importantly they are no longer buying from traditional suppliers but keeping the business among themselves….” [Wessels] cited the A-Darter air-to-air missile, a joint development with Brazil, as one example.”
July 21/10: The 1st A-Darter firing takes place from a South African Air Force JAS-39D Gripen, at the Overberg test area in South Africa. Magnus Reineholm Project Manager for the integration of A-Darter at Saab:
“The A-Darter and the Gripen aircraft have worked beyond our expectations and we are extremely pleased with the test firing results.”
April 23/10: The South African Air Force reportedly intends to fit A-Darter missiles to its fleet of 24 BAE Hawk Mk. 120 lead-in fighter trainers and light attack aircraft, as well as its 26 JAS-39 C/D Gripen Fighters.
The move will give Denel Dynamics a larger market within South African and also abroad – Hawk aircraft are flown by about 18 countries.
April 22/10: The A-Darter missile program has completed a series of ground- launched flight tests, and Denel Dynamics executive manager for air-to-air programmes, Denise Wilson, says the project will be ready for full production by 2012. Denel is reportedly working toward a 2011 date to supply early unarmed training missiles for the SAAF.
Program manager Deon Olivier is quoted as saying that the project is now at the stage “where uncertainties have decreased considerably,” thanks to increased confidence in the seeker stemming from December 2009 – January 2010 seeker tests. Step 2 was a series of ground-based test shots to evaluate the missile’s aerodynamics and control, followed by guided shots in which all the components were tested together in flight. March 2010 saw the completion of carriage clearance tests of the A-Darter missile on the JAS-39C/D Gripen, at up to 12g instantaneous manoeuvre and 45,000 feet/ 13,700m.
Future tests include imminent ground-launch programmed tests for aerodynamics and flight control evaluations, followed by firing clearance from the Gripen aircraft to test missile and seeker performance.
April 16/09: A presentation from Denel Dynamics at the 2009 Latin America Aerospace and Defence (LAAD) conference. Col. Ian van Vuuren, director for the A-Darter program at Denel Dynamics:
”...gave a basic “how-to” seminar on establishing a framework for technology transfers between countries. “One of the typical problems with technology transfer is everybody agrees to do it, [but] it takes two and a half years for the client receiving the technology to put the establishment team in place in his own country,” van Vuuren said. In that time, knowledge is lost and training loses its effectiveness…. Van Vuuren’s presentation focused on the process Denel and the governments of South Africa and Brazil used to establish a framework for the technology transfer as part of the A-Darter program. Key to the process is having over-arching government support, formalized in cooperation agreements, and creating a joint contracting body to award the contract to companies.”
May 28/08: Diehl BGT announces that the South African Air Force has picked IRIS-T to equip their Gripen fighter aircraft “as an interim solution until the local missile development – the A-Darter will be operational.” This makes them IRIS-T’s 2nd export customer outside the original 7-nation consortium.
Denel Dynamics CE Jan Wessels last year April told defence Web the weapon, under development since March 2007 was on track and on target for delivery to the SAAF and the Brazilian Air Force from early 2013, now two years away. (This has been updated to late 2012) Wessels added training missiles will be delivered from net year (2012). The SAAF is to fit the missile to its fleet of workhorse BAE Systems Hawk Mk120 lead-in fighter trainers in addition to integrating it on to the more sophisticated Saab Gripen C and D advanced lightweight fighter. Brazil wants the weapon for its FX-2 future fighter programme.
Significant progress had been made during 2010 with regard to the development and integration of air-to-air missiles on the Hawk and Gripen. This involved the test-firing of the first developmental test-firing of the Denel Dynamics A-Darter missile which will be integrated onto both the Gripen and Hawk.
2010 SAAB did the integration of the missile into Gripen and March 2011 the SAAF awarded a contract to proceed with the integration with Hawk aircraft.
Information from another source:
The missile incorporates a high-agility airframe, greatly improved manoeuvrability and an extended range. An imaging IR seeker ensures excellent countermeasure rejection and very accurate terminal guidance. Capabilities include lock-on after launch and memory tracking. Designation may be via the aircraft's radar, a helmet sight or the missiles autonomous scan feature if radar silence is required. Long-range intercepts, beyond IR detection range, are possible using the lock-on after launch mode.
Use is made of thrust-vectoring tail controls. It has also been reported that targeting algorithms include advanced spatial filtering techniques (that 'see' the difference in size and shape between an aircraft and a decoy) and velocity profiling (to sense the difference in speed between the target and a decoy).
Guidance: Two-colour imaging Infra-red with laser fuze.
Some sources indicate that during tests the missile was tested on Gripen withstanding 12g without any aerodynamic or vibration problems (at 9g pilots start to lose consciousness.) It has also been reported that during flight tests it withstood extreme manoeuvring forces. This means the pilot can look backwards to target, get a lock on with his helmet mounted sight and fire the missile that would then make a sharp tern and engage the target. The 2 colour infra read sensor takes a picture of the target and intelligently identify the target, it does not blindly track the heat source which means flares are not followed and it even means you can program it not to engage aircraft of your own type for example Gripen to avoid friendly fire in a high intensity conflict where there are multiple aircraft in the battle space.
According to Denel Dynamics CE Jan Wessels “The rest of the programme is now qualification and industrialisation. So the real technology has all been solved. On a programme like this those were the risks. On a fifth generation missile like this there were many things we had never done. They have all now been ticked off. Now we can increase the reliability and maturity of the system.” During industrialisation focus is on increasing reliability and reducing the cost of production.
No performance figures has been published but the dimensions and weight is very similar to the ASRAAM but A-Darter will be far more manoeuvrable because it has thrust vectoring that ASRAAM does not have.
Performance figures will not be published or substantially understated, this is a Denel policy to give users a strategic advantage and I can personally testify to that fact. We have used systems in combat during 1987 where the real range that we achieved was 60% further than the official range published by Denel in 2011. I am not aware of any range stated by Denel that is not at least 20% less than the real range. So if you do not hear it from a pilot that uses it you can disregard anything you read.
I have also herd rumours (but nothing official) that RSA and Brazil is considering joint development of a beyond visual range missile once the development of A-Darter is finished. RSA has previously developed the R-Darter which they have now withdrawn from service but has not yet named the replacement.
I hope this helps you.
Best wishes
Basicamente as informações dão conta de que o A-darter já foi testado tanto com lançamentos do solo quanto em vôo, e todos os testes foram bem sucedidos. As dificuldades técnicas típicas de novos desenvolvimentos já teriam sido resolvidas, e agora o míssil está em fase de industrialização, onde não é mais necessário resolver nenhum problema mas apenas estabelecer os procedimentos de produção e tentar reduzir os custos de fabricação onde possível.SantaCatarinaBR escreveu: ... não traduzi estas informações no google tradutor ainda, porque ja sei que não vai adiantar nada, alguem que fala o "inglês bem dizido" vê se tem algo diferente do que nós ja sabemos aiH!
Excelente estratégia de vendas.O objetivo do programa é ter um míssil sem componentes restritos originários de nenhum país da OTAN, de forma a ser completamente imune a embargos. Isto garantiria a exportação a qualquer país sem restrições, e é considerado um ponto importante na estratégia de marketing.
Obrigado pelas esplicações!LeandroGCard escreveu:Basicamente as informações dão conta de que o A-darter já foi testado tanto com lançamentos do solo quanto em vôo, e todos os testes foram bem sucedidos. As dificuldades técnicas típicas de novos desenvolvimentos já teriam sido resolvidas, e agora o míssil está em fase de industrialização, onde não é mais necessário resolver nenhum problema mas apenas estabelecer os procedimentos de produção e tentar reduzir os custos de fabricação onde possível.SantaCatarinaBR escreveu: ... não traduzi estas informações no google tradutor ainda, porque ja sei que não vai adiantar nada, alguem que fala o "inglês bem dizido" vê se tem algo diferente do que nós ja sabemos aiH!
O texto informa que o míssil suportou até 12G instantâneos em manobras do avião lançador (Gripen), que foi lançado sem problemas. Os parâmetros de performance não tem sido divulgados, mas devem ser equivalentes aos do ASRAAM, que tem dimensões e características similares, porém com maior capacidade de manobra (pelo menos no início do vôo) devido à presença de vetoração de empuxo. Ele poderá ser guiado pelo visor no capacete do piloto, pelo radar do avião e terá capacidade LOAL, o que incrementará seu alcance para além do visual. O sensor IIR de duas cores terá algorítmos inteligentes de reconhecimento de imagem, que o tornará capaz de diferenciar entre os aviões-alvo e os despistadores, e até de reconhecer aeronaves amigas e inimigas.
O objetivo do programa é ter um míssil sem componentes restritos originários de nenhum país da OTAN, de forma a ser completamente imune a embargos. Isto garantiria a exportação a qualquer país sem restrições, e é considerado um ponto importante na estratégia de marketing.
Acho que estes são os pontos principais.
Um abraço,
Leandro G. cardoso
Bastante promissor.LeandroGCard escreveu:Basicamente as informações dão conta de que o A-darter já foi testado tanto com lançamentos do solo quanto em vôo, e todos os testes foram bem sucedidos. As dificuldades técnicas típicas de novos desenvolvimentos já teriam sido resolvidas, e agora o míssil está em fase de industrialização, onde não é mais necessário resolver nenhum problema mas apenas estabelecer os procedimentos de produção e tentar reduzir os custos de fabricação onde possível.SantaCatarinaBR escreveu: ... não traduzi estas informações no google tradutor ainda, porque ja sei que não vai adiantar nada, alguem que fala o "inglês bem dizido" vê se tem algo diferente do que nós ja sabemos aiH!
O texto informa que o míssil suportou até 12G instantâneos em manobras do avião lançador (Gripen), que foi lançado sem problemas. Os parâmetros de performance não tem sido divulgados, mas devem ser equivalentes aos do ASRAAM, que tem dimensões e características similares, porém com maior capacidade de manobra (pelo menos no início do vôo) devido à presença de vetoração de empuxo. Ele poderá ser guiado pelo visor no capacete do piloto, pelo radar do avião e terá capacidade LOAL, o que incrementará seu alcance para além do visual. O sensor IIR de duas cores terá algorítmos inteligentes de reconhecimento de imagem, que o tornará capaz de diferenciar entre os aviões-alvo e os despistadores, e até de reconhecer aeronaves amigas e inimigas.
O objetivo do programa é ter um míssil sem componentes restritos originários de nenhum país da OTAN, de forma a ser completamente imune a embargos. Isto garantiria a exportação a qualquer país sem restrições, e é considerado um ponto importante na estratégia de marketing.
Acho que estes são os pontos principais.
Um abraço,
Leandro G. cardoso
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