Europe’s first ever ballistic missile intercept declared a success

EUROSAM carried out a system firing at the DGA EM test range located in Biscarrosse (south west France) on 18th October 2010. The missile used was MBDA’s Aster. The target used for the firing was representative of a medium-range ballistic missile. All the successive phases of the operational engagement of a ballistic missile ran nominally: target designation transmission to the SAMP/T firing control system, target acquisition by the ARABEL radar, engagement sequence and firing decision, ASTER missile flight sequence and guidance through to target interception. The target was intercepted at the intended range. This firing deployed the Aster 30 Block 1 missile variant developed for the French Air Force’s Mamba medium range air defence system (also known as SAMP/T or Surface Air Moyenne Portee Terrestre) and optimised for the interception of aerial as well as ballistic threats. The Aster missile family (which also includes the naval variants Aster 15 and Aster 30) constitutes the most important missile programme ever launched in Europe and the second largest defence programme managed by OCCAR after the A400M tactical transport aircraft. Having been taken up by three European countries and two export countries, today, the Aster family offers the largest installed base of European missile systems.