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).

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.

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.

[3] 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.

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.

To achieve a turning radius that would create a 50-G load would require a sophisticated digital autopilot and would only be possible when the rocket motor is burning.

The target may acquired in standalone mode or allocated by the radar, HUD or crosshairs on the helmet (which means some off-boresight capacity).

The rocket motor has a burn time of 2.1 seconds, a maximum thrust of 27,000 newtons and can accelerate the Piranha missile up to Mach 2.

The missile uses the main structure of the fuselage, the warhead and proximity fuze and impact of the MAA-1A (Alpha), the rest being completely new.

The infrared thermographic camera sensor of Indium antimonide and lead telluride has six elements with large search range.

The missile can be considered the Fourth Generation, regarded by experts as superior to the Russian R-73 but less than the Israeli Python IV, with much lower price than similar ones on the market.

In November 2008, three ground firing trial were conducted at Avibras facility, the tests were part of the stage of proof requirements and were successful.

The improvement of the propulsion system of the missile is being conducted jointly by the IAE (Institute of Aeronautics and Space), and Mectron, Avibrás.