France, Italy, and the UK have confirmed the purchase of over 200 additional Aster 15 and 30 surface-to-air missiles from Eurosam, a joint venture between MBDA and Thales. The contract amendment, awarded by OCCAR on March 11 and announced by the French defense procurement agency (DGA) on March 14, expands an earlier order placed in December 2022. The deal includes 218 new Aster missiles and accelerates the delivery of 134 previously ordered units, scheduled for 2025-2026. The Aster 15 is optimized for short-to-medium range air defense, capable of countering high-speed, maneuvering threats in saturation attack scenarios. This procurement reinforces European missile defense capabilities amid heightened security concerns.
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