Aster ( missile family ) The Aster missile series , comprising the Aster 15 and Aster 30 are a family of vertically launched surface - to - air missile s . The name " " Aster " " originates from the mythical Greek archer named " Asterion " ( in Greek mythology ) , Asterion likewise receiving his name from the ancient Greek word aster ( ) , meaning " star " . Aster is manufactured by Eurosam , a European consortium consisting of MBDA France , MBDA Italy ( combined 66 % ) and the Thales Group ( 33 % ) . The missile is designed to intercept and destroy a wide range of air threats , such as supersonic anti - ship cruise missiles at very low altitude ( Sea - skimming ) and fast flying , high performance aircraft or missiles . Aster is primarily operated by France , Italy , and the United Kingdom and is an integrated component of the PAAMS air - defence missile system , known in the Royal Navy as Sea Viper . As the principle weapon of the PAAMS system , Aster equips the Type 45 destroyers and the Horizon class frigate s . Aster also equips the French and Italian FREMM multipurpose frigate s , though they will not be operating as part of a PAAMS air - defence suite . Although the Aster 30 is anti - ballistic missile capable , an Aster Block 2 BMD ( Ballistic Missile Defence ) variant of the Aster 30 missile is currently under development . History . During the 1980s , the predominant missiles in Franco - Italian service were short - range systems such as the French " Crotale " , Italian Aspide or American Sea Sparrow , with ranges up to a dozen kilometres . Some vessels were also equipped with the American medium / long range Standard . France and Italy decided to start development of a domestic medium / long range surface - to - air missile to enter service in the first decade of this millennium , that would give them comparable range but superior interception capability to the American " Standard " or British " Sea Dart " already in service . Thought was given in particular to the new missile ' s ability to intercept next - generation supersonic anti - ship missiles , such as the Brahmos missile developed jointly by India and Russia . This allowed the actual systems to have the characteristic of being specialised either in short - to - medium range " point defence " ( ships , for instance ) , or in medium - to - long range " zone defence " ( fleets ) . In May 1989 , a Memorandum of understanding was signed between France and Italy for the development of a family of future surface - to air - missiles . Eurosam was formed shortly afterwards . By July 1995 development had taken shape in the form of the Aster missile and test firing of the first Aster 30 took place . The missile successfully intercepted a target at an altitude of 15 , 000 m and at speeds of 1000 km / h . A Phase 2 contract was awarded in 1997 at US $ 1 billion for pre - production and developlemt of the French - Italian land and naval systems . During development trials between 1993 and 1994 all flight sequences , altitudes and ranges , were validated . This was also the period during which the launch sequence of Aster 30 was validated . In May 1996 , trials of the Aster 15 active electromagnetical final guidance system against live targets began . All six attempts were successful . Again during 1997 Aster was extensively tested , this time being pitted against targets such as the C22 target and first generation Exocet anti - ship missiles . In numerous engagements Aster scored direct impacts on its targets . During one such engagement on 13 November 1997 in a strong countermeasures environment , the Aster was not armed with its military warhead so that the distance between the Aster and the target could be recorded . The target ( a C22 ) was recovered bearing two strong cuts due to the fins of the Aster missile . In May 2001 Aster had again successfully completed the " manufacturer ' s validation firing test " and was deployed for the first time on the French nuclear - powered aircraft carriers Charles de Gaulle ( R91 ) . Again on the 29 June 2001 achieved a successful interception of a " Arabel " missile at low altitude in less than five seconds . During the same year a target simulating an aircraft flying at speeds of Mach 1 and at an altitude of 100 meters was intercepted by an Aster 15 . The first ever operational firing of the Aster missile took place during October 2002 on board Charles de Gaulle . Finally in November 2003 Eurosam was awarded the 3 billion euro Phase 3 production contract which saw full production commence and exports to France , Italy , Saudi Arabia and the United Kingdom . The resulting Aster surface - to - air missile meets inter - service and international requirements , addressing the needs of the land , air and naval forces of France , Italy and the United Kingdom . The decision to base the missile around a common terminal intercept ' dart ' to which different sized boosters can be attached has made it modular and extensible . From 2002 to 2005 , the Italian experimental frigate " Carabiniere " ( F581 ) provided a test bed for live firing trials of the Aster 15 from Sylver A43 launchers with EMPAR and SAAM - it systems , and the trials of Aster 30 from Sylver A50 launchers with EMPAR and PAAMS ( E ) systems . Characteristics . Aster is best described as an anti - missile missile that is capable of intercepting all types of high performance air threats such as ; aircraft , UAV s , ballistic missile s , cruise missile s and anti - ship missile s at ranges of up to 120 km . There are currently two versions of the Aster missile family , the short range version , " Aster 15 " and the long range version , " Aster 30 " . The missile bodies are identical ; Their difference in range and intercept speed is because Aster 30 uses a much larger booster . Total weights of the Aster 15 and Aster 30 are 310 kg and 450 kg respectively . Aster 15 has a length of 4 . 2 meters , rising to just under 5 meters for Aster 30 and a diameter of 180mm . Given the larger dimensions of the Aster 30 , a naval based system requires the longer tubes of the Sylver A50 or A70 vertical launching system ( VLS ) . Additionally the American Mark 41 Vertical Launching System can accommodate Aster 30 . Aster 30 is capable of reaching speeds of Mach 4 . 5 while reaching altitudes of 30 km and is capable of performing aerial manoeuvres greater than 60 Gs giving it a very high degree of manoeuvrability . This is thanks to the combination of aerodynamic control and the direct thrust vector control called " PIF - PAF " . Thrust vectors are intentionally located at the missile ' s centre of gravity maximising responsiveness . This system also prevents a rupture of the missile under high - " g " maneuvers during trajectory corrections , and allows such maneuvers to be performed without losing aerodynamic performances , improving the precision of the impact on target . A standard launch of the Aster can include 90 - degree trajectory changes . Eurosam describes Aster as a " hit - to - kill Missile Interceptor " . The Aster missile is autonomously guided enabling it to cope with saturated attacks and is equipped with an active RF seeker . The shipboard radar fulfills roles of sentry , meteo , target discrimination , acquisition and chase . When coupled with the advanced PAAMS air - defence system utilizing the SAMPSON and S1850M radars ( as found on the British Type 45 destroyers ) , Aster is capable of simultaneously targeting and engaging multiple targets at once . MBDA states Aster is capable of " Multiple engagement capability with high rate of fire " . Variants . Block 1 is used in the Eurosam SAMP / T system operated by the French Air Force and the Italian Army . , the development of Block 1NT is under discussion by France , Italy and the UK . Block 2 would not be delivered until after 2020 . Deployment . Land systems . Aster 30 has been successfully incorporated into a land based SAM system - fulfilling the " " Ground - based area defence " " mission requirement . It comes in the form of the Eurosam SAMP / T ( Surface - to - Air Missile Platform / Terrain . The French Ministry of Defence initially placed orders for six SAMP / T systems for the French Army and six systems for the French Air Force , however by 2012 the order was reduced to ten Mamba systems and all will now be operated by the Air Force . It is intended that they will provide mobile air - defence for strategically important locations at home or abroad - primarily military air bases . SAMP / T is currently equipping five squadrons of air defence ( EDSA ) in the French Air Force and has been operational since 2010 . SAMP / T is primarily mounted on a Renault 8x4 Kerax transporter erector launcher vehicle , it is fitted with eight missiles - all of which can be salvo - fired in under ten seconds . < ref name = " SAMP / T " > Aster 30 SAMP / T < / ref > Eurosam also received an order for six SAMP / T systems for the Italian Army , the first units of which are already in service . It is mounted on an Astra 8x8 transporter erector launcher trucks , each truck with eight missiles . The Republic of Singapore Air Force has ordered an unknown amount of SAMP / T systems to replace their Improved Hawk missiles . The system uses a network of sophisticated radars and sensors - including 3D phased array radar - enabling it to be highly effective against all types of air threats . And Italy is considering adding BMD capabilities to the SAMP / T .