The Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR) signed a contract on 9 June with the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium co-owned by MBDA and Thales for the mid-life refresh (MLR) of UK Royal Navy and Italian Army and Navy Aster missiles. OCCAR signed the contract with Eurosam for the MLR of French Navy and Air and Space Force Asters in January 2020.
The French Navy Horizon-class anti-air frigate FS Forbin detected, tracked and destroyed a supersonic target with an Astor 30 missile on 21 May 2021 during exercise ‘Formidable Shield 2021'. (Marine Nationale/Rachel Bodier)
Eurosam did not specify what the MLR involves, but the French version of its 9 July press release on the subject referred in its headline to re-engining Aster instead of the MLR headlining the English and Italian versions. OCCAR said on its website on 5 July that the MLR for the three nations would involve retrofitting 1,000 Aster missiles for 13 years starting in 2023 for a total value of EUR1.2 billion (USD1.4 billion).
The refurbishment will be performed at the three countries' respective national maintenance centres: MBDA in Selle-Saint-Denis in central France, the Centro Interforze Munizionamento Avanzato (CIMA) in Aulla close to MBDA La Spezia in Italy, and DMG Gosport near Portsmouth, UK. OCCAR said this would “provide a key national capability in the field of Aster missile maintenance”.
On 6 July, the UK's Defence Equipment & Support organisation announced the award of a 10-year contract to Eurosam for the MLR of the Royal Navy (RN) Type 45 destroyer's Aster 30 missiles. MBDA said in separate press release on 6 July that the Type 45's existing Système de Lancement Vertical (SYLVER) vertical launch system will now be only for the longer-range Aster 30 missile, (i.e. it would no longer include Aster 15s).
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