Romania tests IAR-99SM light attack aircraft armed with German IRIS-T air-to-air missile

Romania tests IAR-99SM light attack aircraft armed with German IRIS-T air-to-air missile.
the German IRIS-T air-to-air missile has been integrated into Romania’s IAR-99SM aircraft. One of these missiles was attached to a test-bed during a visit by Stéphane Séjourné, the Vice-President of the European Commission, at the INCAS Institute in Bucharest. The Romanian Minister of Research, Innovation, and Digitalization, Bogdan Gruia Ivan, highlighted Romania’s involvement in a drone project featuring local production of optoelectronic equipment and computer systems. He also mentioned that the INCAS Institute is assisting in the creation of a Romanian-designed drone prototype.
The IAR-99 SM (Modernized Standard) program focuses on upgrading ten IAR-99 Șoim (Standard) aircraft to the SM variant under a 2020 contract between the Romanian Ministry of Defense and Avioane Craiova. Testing of the first upgraded aircraft began in December 2023, with the remaining nine aircraft in various stages of repair or modernization. The program, scheduled for completion in 2024, aims to prepare Romanian pilots for operations on F-16 and F-35 fighter jets while retaining capabilities for close air support and low-speed air target engagement.

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The IAR-99 SM, Romanian Air Force, the IRIS-T air-to-air missile