MBDA Aster
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Template:Infobox Missile Aster is a family of surface-to-air missiles manufactured by Eurosam, a joint venture between MBDA (66%) and Thales (33%). The Aster family was developed to perform three distinct missions:
- Naval autodefence — using the Aster 15 SAAM (Surface-to-Air Anti-missile missile) as used on FS Charles de Gaulle aircraft carrier (SAAM-FR), the future Italian aircraft carrier (SAAM-IT) and selected for the 27 French/Italian FREMM multipurpose frigates.
- Naval local and zone defence — Integrated PAAMS (Principle Anti-Air Missile System) using Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles, selected by British, French and Italian navies. PAAMS systems delivered by EUROPAAMS consortium, another MBDA/Thales partnership.
- Ground based area defence — SAMP/T (Ground-to-Air Medium Range Missile System) using batteries of Aster 30 missiles.
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History
Image:Fr aster2.jpg During the 1980s, the predominant missile was the short-range missile, like the Roland or Crotale, with ranges up to a dozen kilometres. During the 1990s, very-short range system came to complete the defensive perimeter in a 5 km radius.
The 2000s are expected to see the replacement of the present Medium-range defence systems (ranges beetween 30 to 100 kilometres) coming to obsolescence. The current range of SAM systems, like the American Sea Sparrow or the Standard-Tartar, the British Sea Dart, or the land-based systems Hawk and Patriot, cannot be modernised indefinitely, and are already showing their limitation against opponents growing smaller, faster, more stealthy, more intelligent, and more capable of electronic warfare.
The actual systems also 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 this context, the European consortium EUROSAM (MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales Group) are developing the new generation Aster anti-missile missile, with the following specifications :
- Inter-service: addresses the needs of the Land, Air and Naval forces alike)
- Multinational: development shared by France, Italy and the United Kingdom
- Modular and extensible
Additionally, the Aster system was designed in such a way as to allow any of the versions to have an anti-ballisitic tactical missile role.
New Generation
The Aster features two majors improvements over the previous generations of missiles :
Manoeuverability
The manoeuverablitly is greatly improved thanks to a new control system. The traditional control flaps have been carefully optimized, and are associated with four powder maneuver rockets at the center of gravity of the missile (also referred to as PIF-PAF for Pilotage induit en force—Pilotage aerodynamique en force). This prevents a rupture of the missile under high-g maneuvers, during trajectory corrections, and allows such maneuvers to occur without losing aerodynamical performances, which improves the precision of the impact of target. A standard launch of the Aster can include 90 degrees trajectory changes.
Radars
Techological improvements allow the onboard radar to fulfil roles of sentry, meteo, target discrimination, acquisition and chase. The radars are capable of simultaneously tracking 300 flying objects, discriminate around 60, and guide up to 16 missiles.
Users / Inventory
- British Type 45 destroyers will be armed with PAAMS, using the Aster 30 and Aster 15.
- The Charles de Gaulle received her complement in 2001
- French and Italian Horizon CNGF will carry the Aster-30
- French and Italian FREMM frigates will carry the Aster-15
- The new Italian aircraft carrier "Cavour" carry Aster 15 (32 missiles in 2 blocks of 16 cells)
- The French La Fayette class frigates use the Aster
- The Saudi frigate Al Damman'' was the first warship to launch an Aster, on 23 March 2004.
- The Singaporean Formidable Class Stealth Frigates will carry the Aster-15
Combat Performance
Image:Aster launching.jpg As of 2005, the Aster has never been used in actual combat.
The trials, between 1993 and 1994, were very successful. 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:
- 8 April 1997: interception of a C22 target simulating a subsonic antiship missile, flying at 10 metres, at a distance of 7 kilometres.
- 23 May 1997: Direct impact on an Exocet anti-ship missile of the first generation, at 9 kilometres, to protect a distant ship (7 km). This was the first "Hit-to-Kill" interception ever against an antiship missile.
- 13 November 1997: interception of a C22 target in very low flight in a strong countermeasures environment. In this test, the Aster was not armed with its military warhead so that the distance between the Aster and the target could be recorded. The C22 was recovered bearing two strong cuts due to the fins of the Aster missile.
- 30 December 1997: Interception of a live C22 target by an Aster-30 at a distance of 30 kilometres, an altitude of 11,000 metres, and a speed of 900 km/h. The Aster climbed up to 15,000 metres before falling on the target at a speed of 2880 km/h. The closest distance between the Aster and the C22 was four metres.
- 29 June 2001 : Interception of a Arabel missile in low altitude, in less than 5 seconds.
- In 2001 : Interception by the Aster-15 of a target simulating an aircraft flying at Mach-1 at an altitude of 100 metres.
Variants
The Aster 15 and Aster 30 differ only in the size of their booster - total weights being 310kg and 450kg respectively.