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MBDA progresses Aster ramp-up with first accelerated delivery

31st July 2025 - 14:03 GMT | by Lucy Powell in London, UK

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An Aster B1 NT missile mid-test fire. (Photo: DGA)

The first delivery comes less than two years after the first joint order was placed. MBDA has committed to halving Aster production lead-time by 2026.

MBDA has announced it is making headway with the accelerated production of its Aster missiles, delivering its first batch of munitions as part of the joint acquisition led by Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR).

EUROSAM, he MBDA-backed Franco-Italian consortium with Thales, was awarded a contract in 2023 to produce 700 Aster missiles, namely Aster 30 B1 NT, Aster 30 B1 and Aster 15, for France and Italy.

A supplemental joint order was then made in February 2025 for 218 missiles which increased the number to be produced to almost 1,000 for Italy, the UK and France.

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Lucy Powell

Lucy Powell is Shephard’s Air Reporter. She has spent the last two years reporting …

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