Aster missile upgrade underway
The EUROSAM consortium has been awarded a contract to develop a new version of the Aster 30 Block 1 missile for the French Ministry of Defence, as part of work to modernise the SAMP/T ground based air defence system.
France's Aster programme is led by the DGA with the support of OCCAR.
The EUROSAM consortium includes MBDA and Thales. The work will see the development of Aster Block 1 New Technology (NT), and modernisation of the current SAMP/T system to provide enhanced capabilities particularly against ballistic missiles. These evolutions will enable SAMP/T to further enhance its contribution towards NATO's anti-ballistic missile defence programme.
First deliveries of the missile to the French Air Force are expected in 2023.
France, the UK, and Italy share a successful cooperation covering ground and naval air defence systems based on the Aster missile. This cooperation was reaffirmed by the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding by the three nations on 11 December 2015.
In the next few months, France should be joined also by Italy whose ground based air defence units are similarly equipped with the SAMP/T system.
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