Aster

摘要

Aster is a new European air-defense missile that is being manufactured for both land and naval air defense missile systems. The program was initiated in the late 1970s to provide a system to replace the aging MIM-23 HAWK batteries still in use in Europe, and the shipboard Crotale and Standard. The Aster based systems collectively were known as the Future Sur-face-to-Air Family (FSAF). Two variants of the missile are being produced: Aster 15 (15-km range) for naval applications and Aster 30 (30-km range) for land and naval applications; the missiles are identical except for their first-stage boosters. The principal naval applications for the system are the Aster 15-based SAAM (Surface-to-Air Anti-Missile) for France, Italy and Saudi Arabia, the Aster 15/Aster 30 based PAAMS (Principal Anti-Air Missile System) for the French/Italian Project Horizon destroyer and the British Type 45 Daring destroyer; PAAMS is also known as Sea Viper. The contract for the engineering-manufacturing phase of the PAAMS program was finally signed in August 1999; a memorandum of understanding to initiate the production phase was signed on 28 March 2002. This included production authorization for the first batch of 400-500 Aster missiles for PAAMS. According to MBDA, PAAMS orders in early 2006 stood at 16 systems and about 700 missiles.