Diehl BGT Defence has agreed a contract with the South African Air Force to supply the Infra Red Imaging System - Tail control (IRIS-T) short range air-to-air missile for integration into the latter's fleet of Gripen fighters, the company announced on 28 May during Berlin's ILA 2008 air show, writes Brooks Tigner. South Africa chose the weapon as an interim solution until development of its own missile, the A Darter, is complete. Diehl Defence, a division of Diehl Group, and its new customer - the South African acquisition organisation Armscor - finalised the contract the previous day. Claus Gunther, the division's chief executive officer, declined to give details about the value or size of the order, but told Jane's that delivery of the missiles "will be pretty quick. The size of the number is less important than the fact that we have export authority to ship to South Africa and that we've opened up a wedge in the international market beyond Europe", said Gunther.
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