13:30 GMT, November 12, 2009 The Swedish Defence Materiel Administration, FMV, has delivered the robot 98 or Iris-T, as it is known, to the Swedish Armed Forces. The robot will replace the current robot 74 for the Gripen aircraft.

Iris-T is optimized in order to combat targets on very short distance from its own airplane and is a complement to the robots Amraam and Meteor, which are primarily intended to combat targets at long distances.

Iris-T is a European collaboration between six countries: Germany, Italy, Spain, Greece, Norway and Sweden.

- I think this is a good example of a very successful international project. Cooperative climate has always been very good. The countries have been sensitive to each others' views and the will to find constructive solutions to problems encountered have been great, "says Hakan Bergstrom, director of Air and Space at the FMV.

Proof of this is that no national special solutions have been charged to the project, which also has been successful to get all countries in the same production contract.

Although the robot is designed for short shooting distance, so is the performance over long distances also very good. Compared to Robot 74 targets of much longer distance can be fought with Iris-T.

The system consists of combat robots, robots, exercise, blind robots, test kits and tool kits and ground handling equipment. The robot is modular, and it is very easy to upgrade the robot's software.

Iris-T is optimized for use with a display integrated into the pilot's helmet, known as HMD, Helmet Mounted Display, IRST, Infrared Search and Track, radar and other systems for measuring the goals. With appropriate sensors on the aircraft can Iris-T also combat objectives behind its own aircraft

Weight, length and interface with the airplane is basically the same as for robotic 74. This has been a guiding requirement for development work to facilitate the integration of countries' existing fighter aircraft.

Iris-T will be integrated on the EF2000 Typhoon, F-16 Fighting Falcon, JAS-39 Gripen, PA-200 Tornado, F-18 Hornet and F-4 Phantom II. Lockheed Martin does, on behalf of Norway, a feasibility for the integration of Iris-T on the Joint Strike Fighter.

The main supplier is the German company Diehl BGT Defense GmbH & Co. KG in Germany. They have hired a dozen industries in the countries involved as subcontractors. From Sweden participates Saab Bofors Dynamics AB. The final delivery of the robots to the Swedish Armed Forces will take place in 2010.