The missile bursts from its tube and leaps towards the sky. About ten seconds later, the flying target disintegrated: the French army successfully tested on Tuesday the future version of its anti-aircraft missile, which should be able to intercept certain ballistic or hypersonic missiles.
Called “Operation Mercure”, the test carried out at the test center of the General Directorate of Armaments (DGA) in Biscarosse (Landes, southwest) is the “first development shot of what will be the future Aster missile “, explains the director of the center, armaments engineer Corinne Lopez.
The Aster 30 B1NT missile (new technology), which is due to enter service in 2026, will have the capacity to reach a target flying at an altitude of 25,000 meters from 150 kilometers away, according to its designer, the European missile manufacturer MBDA .
In addition to planes, it will have the capacity to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles, of the type of those fired last week by Iran against Israel, as well as so-called hypersonic missiles, flying at more than Mach 5 (6,000 km/h). h).
For now, the exercise is being played with two orange targets flying at nearly 900 km/h above the Atlantic Ocean at an altitude of 6,000 meters, around twenty kilometers from the coast.
It will take several more before the missile and its medium-range surface-to-air defense system (SAMP/T NG, new generation land-based medium-range surface-to-air) enter service.
“5, 4, 3, 2, 1… Authorized firing”, states the test conductor in the operations room lined with screens from which radar, optical or radar data are monitored and collected. telemetry.
On the seaside, a ground-to-air defense battery, launch tubes pointed vertically, triggers the shot. “Everyone, the target has been hit,” the officer announced shortly after to the applause of the Minister of the Armed Forces Sébastien Lecornu and several parliamentarians.
“It was the first test of a program which is absolutely key (…) a great success in target discrimination,” greets Mr. Lecornu. Equipped with a new seeker, a sort of small radar located in its head, the missile was able to differentiate between what was presented to it as the friendly aircraft and the other enemy.
– Commercial hopes –
France is committed to strengthening its ground-air defense, an area neglected since the end of the Cold War. It plans to devote 5 billion euros to it by 2030 and has already ordered 8 new generation SAMP/T systems, which with the new Asters will include a new radar and a new fire control system. She must order four more in the coming years.
Italy, with which the program was launched in 2021, must for its part equip itself with 10 of these systems. The Aster 30 B1NT missiles will also equip French and Italian frigates, as well as countries purchasing these ships from both countries, as well as certain British vessels.
“The Iranian strikes on Israel clearly show the extent to which long-range ballistic threats are unfortunately before us. France must be ready,” judges the minister.
While the SAMP/T system has never found an export buyer, apart from a battery given to Ukraine to help it defend its skies against Russian bombings, the minister hopes for future commercial success, while many European countries have opted for the American Patriot.
For Paris and Rome, this involves offering an alternative to the “European Sky Shield” (ESSI) project launched by Germany and joined by around twenty countries. This intends to rely on the German Iris-T anti-aircraft systems for short-range ground-to-air defense, American Patriot for medium range and American-Israeli Arrow-3 for long range.
With the future Aster missile, hopes Sébastien Lecornu, “we are having a technological leap strong enough to allow part of Europe to buy Franco-Italian and have a completely sovereign solution”, at 100 % European.
