The MAA-1 Piranha is a short-range infrared homing missile and the first air-to-air missile developed by Brazil for its Air Force and Navy. It was designed to replace the AIM-9 Sidewinder missile in Brazilian service and has since been exported to Colombia, Indonesia and Pakistan. History Development of an air-to-air missile to replace the AIM-9B Sidewinder in FAB service began in March 1976 by Brazil's Instituto de Aeronáutica e Espaço (IAE). By 1978 it had been defined as a weapon similar in capability to the AIM-9G. The project was classified until 1981. The pace of the project was quickened after the 1982 Falklands war and the missile was dubbed Piranha. Contracts were awarded to DF Vasconcellos SA, a Brazilian company with experience in optics and guided weaponry which was given the task of developing the weapon's infra-red seeker. However the company went bankrupt in the mid-1980s and it abandoned the Piranha project in 1986. Piranha achieved some degree of operational capability in September 1992. It has been assumed that the missile achieved initial operational capability in 1993 coinciding with the last test campaign. The MAA-1 project has been handled by many Brazilian companies since its inception in the 1970s, but ultimately Mectron developed the MAA-1 missile weapon system in the 1990s. In 2005 a South African Skua high-speed target drone was used in final testing of the MAA-1 in order to simulate an aircraft by towing infrared targets at high speed. Design The MAA-1 Piranha is a supersonic, short-range air-to-air missile relying on infrared passive guidance that senses the heat emissions coming primarily from a target aircraft's engines. It is highly maneuverable and can turn at accelerations of up to 50g. The Piranha is a 'fire and forget' missile: once launched it does not require data from the firing aircraft; a laser fuze detonates the high-explosive warhead. The missile is suitable for tactical aerial "dogfight" combat. Externally, the aerodynamic configuration is very similar to Rafael's Python 3 air-to-air missile. During the 1990s Mectron conducted Piranha missile test firings on the AT-26 Xavante, F-5 and Mirage III aircraft. The missile was qualified for operation on the Brazilian Air Force (FAB) F-5E in September 1992. Missile production began in 1993y. The Piranha air-to-air missile has also been integrated into Brazilian AMX tactical attack aircraft, and could be integrated into many other aircraft used by the Brazilian Air Force, Army and Navy in