Aster 15 / 30

Aster 15 and Aster 30 were developed through the Franco-Italian FSAF/PAAMS air-defence effort to provide a common vertical-launch missile family for naval and land-based systems. The programme created one missile architecture with different booster stages, allowing the same family to cover short, medium, and longer-range interception roles. This made Aster central to European air and missile defence independence.

The Aster family uses vertical launch, active radar guidance, and high agility for 360-degree defence against aircraft, cruise missiles, and some ballistic threats. Aster 15 is optimized for shorter-range naval point and local-area defence, while Aster 30 uses a larger booster for longer-range engagements. The shared design simplifies integration across SAMP/T and naval systems.

Aster missiles equip French, Italian, British, and other naval platforms, and Aster 30 is also used in SAMP/T land-based batteries. Their operational importance has grown as European forces face cruise-missile, aircraft, and ballistic-missile threats. The family is therefore a high-value reference point for modern European air defence.