The South African Air Force (SAAF) has awarded a contract to Diehl BGT Defence for purging of missiles and the rental of gas filling equipment for its IRIS-T short-range air-to-air missile (SRAAM).

The contract is to maintain the missile that was acquired as an interim weapon for the SAAB Gripen advanced light fighter aircraft in 2008.

Discover B2B Marketing That Performs

Combine business intelligence and editorial excellence to reach engaged professionals across 36 leading media platforms.

Find out more

The infrared-guided IRIS-T is a short-range, highly manoeuvrable, all-aspect air-to-air missile, which allows engaging any target from point-blank to the maximum range.

SAAF will have a fleet of 26 missiles by next year, before the first Denel Dynamics A-Darter fifth-generation SRAAM is delivered to the SAAF in 2013, according to DefenceWeb.

Airforce Technology Excellence Awards - Nominations Closed

Nominations are now closed for the Airforce Technology Excellence Awards. A big thanks to all the organisations that entered – your response has been outstanding, showcasing exceptional innovation, leadership, and impact.


Excellence in Action
Discover how Virtualitics is transforming mission readiness with explainable AI, predictive maintenance, and data-driven decision intelligence across the U.S. Department of Defense through its AI-powered Integrated Readiness Optimization suite, for which it has won the Innovation and Business Expansion awards.

Discover the Impact