MBDA last week said it successfully completed firings of its Aster 30 missile to demonstrate the effectiveness of the missile.
Over the last month, the firings were conducted from the Italian Orizzone frigate Andrea Doria, the French Horizon frigate Forbin and the U.K. trials barge Longbow at two Mediterranean ranges.
The trials were conducted over a range of increasingly complex scenarios culminating in a final trial featuring a salvo firing against a sea skimming target performing a high-g terminal maneuver, MBDA said in a statement. All the trials were fully successful with both the [Principal Anti Air Missile System] PAAMS ship equipment and Aster missiles operating as expected in each case. This draws to a close the complex and high intensity investigation launched within MBDA after problems encountered in two firing trials last year.
CEO Antoine Bouvier said, “These successful firing trials demonstrate that MBDA has fully mastered the technical issue with the Aster strake that was uncovered last year on recent missile manufacturing. The trials have been completed in support of making sure our domestic customers are in position to deploy the full operational capability of the PAAMS(E) system with the French and Italian navies and the Sea Viper system with the Royal navy later this year.”
MBDA is jointly held by BAE Systems, and Finmeccanica.