It's now official: the Joint Armaments Cooperation Organization (OCCAr) officially notified the EUROSAM industrial group, which includes MBDA and Thales, of an Aster anti-aircraft missile contract on Dec. 30. In this contract, OCCAr represents the Direction générale de l'armement (DGA) for France and the Segretariato generale della difesa (SEGREDIFESA) for Italy. The missiles involved are as follows:

• Aster 15 and 30 B1 for Navy and Marina Militare ships and Aeronautica Militare anti-aircraft systems
• Aster 30 B1NT, currently under development, for Air Force and Space Force anti-aircraft systems, Esercito Italiano (Italian Army), Marina Militare and Aeronautica Militare

This huge order, the amount of which has not been made public, implies changes within the EUROSAM grouping: production capacities will soon be increased, particularly in order to meet the needs of a war economy. These missiles are also ordered in order to perpetuate the current but also future anti-aircraft capabilities of the French and Italian Armed Forces ;

• currently, Aster 15 and 30 on Horizon class frigates/destroyers, FREMM frigates, Charles de Gaulle and Cavour aircraft carriers
• soon, on the modernized Horizon class ships, the future LHD Trieste and the future SMP/T NG modernized anti-aircraft system

It should be noted that the Aster missile family is also armed on Royal Navy ships and the future Greek FDI (defense and intervention frigate). As a reminder, the Aster 15 is used at medium range (30 kilometers), the Aster 30 at long range (120 kilometers) and the future Aster 30 B1NT at long range as well (over 150 kilometers, ballistic missile interception capability). Moreover, the Air and Space Force should soon receive its first Aster 30 Block 1 New Technology missiles (Aster 30 B1NT). Finally, Ukraine was never mentioned in the announcement, despite a very likely future Franco-Italian delivery of a SAMP/T Mamba anti-aircraft system.