MBDA Aster

Aster is a Franco-Italian family of all-weather, vertically launched surface-to-air missiles, made by the Eurosam consortium in which MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales each hold a third. The Aster 15 and Aster 30 share a common terminal intercept dart and differ in the size of the booster stage, which gives the Aster 30 much greater range; the Aster 30 Block 1 is also designed to counter ballistic missiles. The missiles can intercept aircraft, helicopters, cruise missiles and sea-skimming anti-ship missiles. Aster is the principal weapon of the PAAMS air defence system, known in the Royal Navy as Sea Viper, and arms the French and Italian Horizon class frigates and the British Type 45 destroyers.