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Aster 15
Aster 30

Eurosam is a Franco-Italian joint venture created by the French companies Aerospatiale and Thompson-CSF and the Italian firm Alenia/Finmeccanica in order to develop the anti-missile programme FSAF (Future Surface-to-Air Family), which is organised around the Franco-Italian missile Aster. This family has a naval component, the PAAMS (Horizon program) and a mobile land component to be mounted on vehicles which is currently under development.

The two versions of the missile differ only in the size of their first booster stage and, consequently, their range: from 1.7 to 30 km in the case of the Aster 15, and from three to 80 km in the case of the Aster 30. When it entered service, the Aster was the Western World's first surface-to-air missile with active guidance. The Aster is capable of load limits of 60 G in its terminal phase thanks to its aerodynamic pilot, in addition to which there are impulses from lateral jets at the center of gravity, making last-minute corrections of trajectory possible at the moment of interception. That capability makes the Aster unique in the world.

ASTER is a two-stage missile, a concept which leads to maximum effectiveness of the interceptor stage. The solid propellant booster ensures the optimum shaping of the missile’s trajectory in the direction of the target and separates a few seconds after the vertical launch. Up to its mid-course, the weapon is inertially guided, using refreshed target data transmitted by the engagement module through the multi-function radar. During the homing phase, guidance is achieved by an electromagnetic active seeker providing a highly accurate capability in all weathers. ASTER combines a powerful aerodynamic control «PAF» with a direct force control «PIF», using lateral thrusters right at the centre of gravity of the kill vehicle. This innovative control concept provides the weapon with unequalled agility and manoeuvrability within its whole intercept domain, especially at high altitude. The missile combines a proximity fuze and a blast fragmentation warhead that is effective against even the most hardened of targets including Tactical Ballistic Missiles (TBMs).

In December 1997 Aerospatiale announced two significant firing tests of Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles. In the first test an Aster 15 successfully intercepted a sea-skimming target in a very high electronic countermeasures environment. The Aster scored what the French immediately called a "Hit-to-Kiss". Aster's impact point was under a meter from its target's center of gravity. On 11 December 1997, an Aster 30 ground launched missile underwent s its first validation firing against a real target. The intercept occurred at a distance of 16.2 nm. (30 km) from the launch point at an altitude of 36,000 ft (11,000 meters). The C22 target was flying at Mach 0.84 (900 km/h) and the Aster 30 intercepting the target head-on and from above at Mach 2.68. The recorded miss-distance was less than 4 meters.

Aster is capable of evolving in the direction of an antiballistic role in the future. The missile would be able to deal with ballistic missiles with a range of 1,000 km as they reenter the atmosphere. The homing head would have to be made more powerful or its algorithms speeded up, considering the approach speeds involved. The field of the proximity fuze would have to be reduced from 60^o to 30^o to increase its sensitivity, and fragmentation of the explosive charge would have to be adjusted to produce larger fragments.

The Principal Anti-Air Missile System (PAAMS) is a new surface-to-air missile system, developed essentially to provide medium-range air defence and anti-missile protection for high-value units, such as aircraft carriers or merchant tankers, in the vicinity of the escort. The Horizon air defence frigate project involves France, Italy and the United Kingdom. The program covers the ship and secondary weapon systems, and PAAMS. PAAMS had not suffered from London's decision to withdraw from the Horizon frigates program. The Horizon International Joint Venture Co., the prime contractor designated for the program, is owned by the French firm Direction des Constructions Navales (DCN) International, the British firm GEC-Maritime Ltd., and the Italian company Orrizonte SpA. The operational specifications for the frigate were set out in the "Trilateral Staff Requirements" document signed in 1992. However, the partners encountered major difficulties in their efforts to reach agreement on the operational capabilities of the missile system.

Sea Viper PAAMS: Principal Anti-Air Missile System

Sea Viper is the punch of the Type 45 destroyers, the very reason the ships exist: to protect a naval task force from air attack, and the reason why that main mast is so tall. The missile provides all-round defence – not just for the destroyer but for an entire naval task group - against all aerial threats some 70 miles away. It races towards its target at speeds in excess of Mach Four (over 3,000mph) using a series of tiny jets to manoeuvre, carrying out sharp turns at G forces no human could endure. The system comprises Sampson radar (the spinning egg atop the Type 45’s main mast), a Combat Management System, long-range radar, the Sylver missile-launching system on the destroyer's forecastle and Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles with ranges up to 20 and 75 miles respectively.

Sea Viper was known as PAAMS: Principal Anti-Air Missile System, until January 28 2009 – the date of the arrival of the first Type 45, HMS Daring, in Portsmouth. The missiles were tested at France's missile range, the Centre d’Essais de Lancement des Missiles on Île du Levant, off Toulon, using a special trials barge, Longbow, before the first successful firing from Type 45. That came off the Outer Hebrides in September 2010 at the Benbecula ranges, where HMS Dauntless successfully shot down a drone target. There are two variants of the ASTER missile in service with the UK, ASTER 15 and ASTER 30 Block 0 (being upgraded to Block 1). In service for more than a decade, Sea Viper – the name covers the entire weapons system, including two radars, the command system and the Aster missile which is Viper’s ‘bite’ – can currently track hundreds of potential threats to an individual ship or task group at ranges up to 250 miles, and eliminate them when they close to around 70 miles. Each destroyer carries up to 48 Sea Viper missiles, each held in a vertical-launch silo on the forecastle, each capable of taking out aerial threats at ranges up to 75 miles away, accelerating out of its launcher to reach speeds in excess of four times the speed of sound, manoeuvring for the kill at G forces no human can withstand. It relies on two distinctive radar systems – the Sampson (spinning spiked egg) and Long Range (large black slab) – which are able to track hundreds of targets as far as 250 miles away. The £300m-plus package awarded in May 2022 to upgrade the system – known as Sea Viper Evolution – covers the Aster 30 missile itself as well as the Sampson radar and the command/control system. All six Type 45s – HM Ships Daring, Dauntless, Diamond, Dragon, Defender and Duncan – will be fitted with the Sea Ceptor missile system on top of crucial upgrades to the destroyers’ principal weapon, the Sea Viper. It will support 54 jobs in the UK at sites from the Isle of Wight to Hertfordshire, Bristol and Bolton. The evolution upgrade is designed to deal with the increasing threats posed by anti-ship ballistic missiles, ensuring the Type 45 is able to defend the Fleet – especially Carrier Strike Groups – against complex air threats both now and into the future. “Sea Viper has proven itself to be an outstanding weapon system during its first decade in service, providing the Royal Navy with formidable lethality against aerial threats,” said Fleet Commander Vice Admiral Andrew Burns. “Those threats are constantly evolving – and we must adapt and improve not to match them, but to defeat them decisively. This upgrade to Sea Viper ensures the Type 45 destroyer remains the world’s leading air defence warship, protecting not just Royal Navy vessels but also our allies operating alongside us.” Lieutenant Commander Stephen Ashley, weapon engineer officer on HMS Duncan – the most advanced Type 45 in the Fleet following her recently-completed refit – said all six ships in the class would benefit tremendously from the missile upgrades. “The ability to almost double the size of the missile outload on a Type 45 will be a real game changer for ships facing near-peer adversaries, particularly with the surface mode offered by Ceptor which will significantly bolster our ability to defeat fast-attack craft,” he explained. “The new maritime ballistic missile defence capability will really increase our ability to operate freely in the more hostile parts of the world, as we can now see and engage these high-end missiles. It will also deepen our role with NATO as we can now integrate into the wider allied ballistic missile defence network.” MBDA received three contracts January 22, 2024 worth around £400 million to boost and sustain the Sea Viper principal area air defence system of the Royal Navy’s Type 45 destroyers. Two contracts, called Sea Viper Evolution, will enable the Type 45 Destroyers to defend the Carrier Strike Group against anti-ship ballistic missiles (ASBMs). Meanwhile, another contract will provide extended and enhanced in-service support (ISS) contract for Sea Viper for a further five years. MBDA is the prime contractor and design authority for the Sea Viper weapon system, including the sensor (radar), the command and control system, and the missile. The first phase of the revamp will be to upgrade the Aster 30 missile (standing 16ft tall and weighing nearly ½ tonne, yet capable of speeds in excess of Mach 3) to allow it to intercept the latest anti-ship ballistic missile threats, and will also see the Sampson multi-function radar (the ‘spiky egg’ spinning atop the main mast), Command and Control system and Combat Management System. Chris Allam, Managing Director of MBDA UK, said: “These contracts will make Sea Viper the most capable naval air defence system ever developed for the Royal Navy in our 60 year history as the Navy’s primary air defence system supplier. They will also see the UK further enhance the co-operation with France and Italy through MBDA by joining the Aster 30 Block 1 programme, giving the UK the ability to defeat anti-ship ballistic missiles.” The main element of Sea Viper Evolution will see the Royal Navy’s existing Aster 30 missiles receive upgraded Block 1 warheads and new guidance and seeker software to deal with new anti-ship ballistic missile threats, whilst retaining its world leading anti-air warfare capability. The Type 45’s Sampson multi-function radar, and combat management system will also be upgraded. An integrated team from MBDA across the UK, France and Italy is conducting the work together with BAE Systems Maritime Services. Scott Jamieson, Managing Director, BAE Systems’ Maritime Services business, said: “Our Radar business is excited to be working with MBDA on the Sea Viper Evolution upgrade to our SAMPSON Radar on board the UK’s Type 45 Destroyers. This new capability will form a key element of the UK’s Maritime Ballistic Missile Defence programme.” The second part of Sea Viper Evolution is an assessment phase evaluating adding the new Aster 30 Block 1NT missile to the Type 45 destroyers, as well as further improvements to the radar and the wider weapon system, to provide world leading capabilities against medium range manoeuvring and separating ballistic missiles. The new Aster 30 Block 1NT missile, currently under development with France and Italy. It features a new seeker to improve the existing ballistic missile defence capabilities of Type 45 destroyers. The extended ISS contract will continue to build upon MBDA’s pioneering data driven approach to optimised stockpile availability, ensuring the Royal Navy have weapons ready at time of need.