French Aster 30 Missile Downs Sea-Skimming Supersonic Projectile in NATO Exercise

During a NATO exercise off the Scottish coast a sea skimming target was destroyed by the French Aster 30 missile. This being the missile’s first combat-armed use and was fired from the French anti-missile ship FS Forbin 

The exercise was an element of the At-Sea Demo/Formidable Shield 2021 interoperability exercises with participants from 10 NATO countries and led by the U.S. Navy. The successful downing of the incoming missile followed a series of simulated tests of the Aster 30 missile at sea.

The Aster 30 is developed by Eurosam, a consortium jointly owned by European defense contractors MBDA Missile Systems and Thales. The missile system is an element of the Principal Anti Air Missile System, an integrated anti-aircraft warfare system in use by the navies of France, Britain and Italy.

FS Forbin is a 500 feet long, anti-air frigate used to accompany aircraft carriers and other ships and protect them from supersonic missiles attacks. It can be equipped with a helicopter for use in long range submarine warfare.