Aster (missile family)

Aster
Type	Aster 15 Short/medium range surface-air anti-aircraft and anti-missile missile Aster 30 Long range anti-aircraft, anti-missile missile and anti-ballistic missile.
Service history
In service	2001
Production history
Manufacturer	MBDA
Specifications
Weight	310 kg (Aster 15) 450 kg (Aster 30)
Length	4.2 m(Aster 15) 4.9 m(Aster 30)
Diameter	180 mm
Warhead	Directed fragmentation
Detonation mechanism	Proximity
Engine	Solid propellant two-stage rocket
Operational range	1.7–30 km (Aster 15) 3–120 km (Aster 30)
Flight altitude	13 km maximum (Aster 15) 20 km (Aster 30)
Speed	Mach 3 (1000 m/s) (Aster 15) Mach 4.5; 1,400 m/s (Aster 30)
Guidance system	Telemetry uplink, terminal active radar homing
Launch platform	Aster 15 : France: Charles de Gaulle, Horizon class frigate, Aquitaine class frigate, FREDA class frigate (project) Italy: Cavour, Horizon class frigate Singapore: Formidable class frigates UK: Type 45 destroyer Saudi Arabia: Al Riyadh class frigate (Sawari II) Aster 30 : UK: Type 45 AAW Destroyer France/Italy: Horizon class frigate, FREDA class frigate (project) Singapore: Formidable class frigates

Aster is a family of surface-to-air missiles manufactured by Eurosam, a European consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy (combined 66%) and the Thales Group (33%).

Overview

The Aster family was developed to perform three distinct missions:

• Ship point defence — using Aster 15 surface-to-air anti-missile missile (SAAM) as used on the French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle (SAAM-FR), the Italian aircraft carrier Cavour (SAAM-IT) and selected for the 22 French/Italian FREMM multipurpose frigates.
• Ship local and area defence — Integrated Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) using Aster 15 and 30 missiles, selected by Italian, French and British navies. PAAMS delivered by EUROPAAMS consortium, another MBDA/Thales partnership.
• Ground-based area defence — Superficie-Aria Media Portata Terrestre (Italian for Ground-based Surface-to-Air Medium Range, SAMP/T) using batteries of Aster 30 missiles. France has demonstrated the feasibility of destroying medium range ballistic missile.

Aster 15 and 30 missiles differ only in the size of their booster - total weights being 310 kg and 450 kg respectively. Aster 30 requires the longer tubes of the SYLVER A50 launcher, but its range is extended from 30 kilometres (19 mi) to 120 kilometres (75 mi). Aster 30 is also capable of ballistic missile defense.

History

During the 1980s, the predominant missiles in Franco-Italian service were short-range, 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 and 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).

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.

Characteristics

Aster features two significant improvements over the previous generation of missiles:

Maneuverability

New control system: control flaps 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 aérodynamique en force). The system 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.

Radars

The shipboard radar fulfills roles of sentry, meteo, target discrimination, acquisition and chase. It is capable of simultaneously tracking 300 flying objects, discriminating around 60, and guiding up to 16 missiles.

Operators

Aster launchers on the Charles de Gaulle.

Aster launchers on the Forbin.

Land-based system

• France
  • The French aircraft carrier Charles de Gaulle received her complement of Aster 15 missiles in 2001.
  • French Horizon class frigates carry Aster 15 and 30.
  • French FREMM multipurpose frigates will carry Aster 15.
  • The French Air Force operates SAMP/T. Its first battery was declared operational in 2010 with the EDSA 4/950 Servance squadron, stationed at Luxeuil Air Base. During 2011 this unit will receive a second battery and a third battery will be delivered to ESDA 12/950 at Mont-de-Marsan air base.

• Italy
  • The Italian aircraft carrier Cavour has 2x16 cells of Aster 15.
  • Italian Horizon class frigates carry Aster 15 and 30.
  • Italian FREMM multipurpose frigates will carry Aster 15 and 30.

• Saudi Arabia
  • A Saudi Al Riyadh class frigate was the first warship to launch an Aster 15 missile, on 23 March 2004.

• Singapore
  • The Singaporean Formidable class frigates carry both Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles.

• United Kingdom
  • Royal Navy Type 45 destroyers are armed with Sea Viper, using Aster 15 and 30 missiles.

Potential Future Operators

• Poland

Performance

As of April 2008, the Aster has never been used in actual combat. During 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:

• 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 kilometres).
• 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 five seconds.
• In 2001 : Interception by the Aster 15 of a target simulating an aircraft flying at Mach-1 at an altitude of 100 metres.
• In 2002-2003 : Trial of Aster 15 from Sylver A43 launcher with EMPAR and SAAM-it system onboard Italian experimental ship Carabiniere F 581
• In 2004-2005 : Trial of Aster 30 from Sylver A50 launcher with EMPAR and PAAMS(E) system onboard Italian experimental ship Carabiniere F 581
• On 3 April 2008, the Republic of Singapore Navy frigate RSS Intrepid shot down an aerial drone off the French port of Toulon during an exercise.
• In 2010, the Republic of Singapore Navy frigate RSS Supreme fired an Aster 15 and shot down an aerial drone off the coast of Hawaii as part of EX RIMPAC 2010.
• 1 December 2011: Interception of a Black Sparrow ballistic target missile by an Aster 30

See also

• European defence procurement
• Sea Dart missile
• MIM-104 Patriot
• RIM-66 Standard missile
• RIM-162 ESSM
• HQ-9
• Barak 8

External links

• Article in Net-Marine
• MBDA
  • MBDA Aster 15 & 30 PAAMS page
  • MBDA Aster 15 SAAM
• Eurosam Aster page
• Aster 30 Project Details