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France, Italy Launch Acquisition of Aster Missiles to Strengthen Air-Defense Systems

(Source: French Armed Forces Ministry; issued Jan 30, 2023)
(Unofficial translation by Defense-Aerospace.com)
France and Italy have jointly ordered nearly 700 MBDA Aster 15, Aster 30 (pictured) and Aster 30B1 missiles as part of a comprehensive SAMP/T New-Generation upgrade of the naval and ground-based air-defense systems they developed together from the 1980s. (DGA photo)

PARIS --- Sébastien Lecornu, Minister of the Armed Forces, and his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, welcome the signing of the contract for the production of Aster missiles for land and naval air-defense systems operated by the Air and Space Force and the French Navy on one hand and the Italian Army, Air Force and Navy on the other.

The Joint Organization for Cooperation in Armaments (OCCAr), by delegation of the Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) for France and its Italian equivalent (SEGREDIFESA), awarded the contract on December 30, 2022 to the Franco-Italian EUROSAM GIE consortium (MBDA & Thales) of nearly 700 Aster missiles.

This order covers several versions of this missile, unique in Europe: Aster 15 and Aster 30 B1 for ships of the French Navy (air defense frigates and aircraft carriers) and the Italian Navy and Air Force, as well as the latest Aster 30 B1NT version being developed in Franco-Italian cooperation for the French Air and Space Force (SAMPT NG) and the Italian Army, Navy and Air Force.

This is one of the largest orders for this anti-aircraft missile, the only European system offering such operational capabilities.

This global order will require adaptations at the level of the entire industrial chain in order to meet the challenges of the war economy.

This acquisition reflects the two countries’ desire to continue to modernize and sustain their Aster-based land and naval anti-aircraft defense capabilities with, since 2021, the modernization of their in-service missile inventories, in cooperation with the United Kingdom and the launch of a modernization program to upgrade their medium-range surface-to-air systems (SAMP/T) MAMBA to the New-Generation standard (SAMP NG).

The modernization now being prepared of the Horizon-class Air Defense Frigates (FDA) will integrate the capabilities of the B1NT to adapt the protection of the carrier battle group to future threats.

It also reflects the desire of the two countries to continue this historic cooperation around Aster in a strategic area, thereby contributing to maintaining industrial skills in a key sector for European defence.

France and Italy have been cooperating since the 1980s in the field of medium-range surface-to-air defense around the Aster missile. This cooperation, unique in Europe for such capabilities and extended to the United Kingdom in the naval sector, has enabled the development of a family of extremely high-performance missiles (Aster 15, Aster 30, Aster 30 B1) against air threats (aircraft and missiles).

They are deployed from the SAMP/T MAMBA in service with the French Air and Space Force and the Italian Army, and 1st rank warships (e.g. frigates, aircraft carriers ) of the three navies. The Aster missile was developed by MBDA, with the Franco-Italian EIG Eurosam (MBDA and Thales) providing project management for its system integration on the SAMP/T NG and Horizon-type FDAs.

Over 1,300 missiles have been produced for the three cooperating countries since 2000. In 2021, the three nations decided to extend the service life of their in-service missiles. In 2022, the United Kingdom chose the Aster 30 B1 version for the modernization of the anti-aircraft defense system of the Type 45 destroyers and Greece also chose Aster missiles for the equipment of its future FDI frigates.

This new investment by the two nations is a continuation of the joint effort made in 2021 to modernize their medium-range land-based anti-aircraft defense systems with the launch of the SAMPT NG program in order to cope with the evolution of the threat. Italy has also recently chosen the Aster for its air force and its army.

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