Aster Missile: Europe's Top Air Killer

According to Sputnik, Aster 15 and Aster 30 are two variants of the Aster family of air defense missiles developed by Eurosam Group, serving modern European air defense systems including SAMP/T, PAAMS and many French-Italian warships. This is a line of medium- and long-range interceptor missiles, notable for its high speed, high accuracy and ability to destroy both aerodynamic targets and ballistic missiles.

Aster is considered the long-range killer of the European air defense network, possessing outstanding maneuverability and interception power that makes it difficult for any target to escape. Photo: Army Recognition

The Aster 15 is a short- and medium-range missile, primarily designed for ships. It has a range of about 30km, a speed of more than Mach 3, and is designed to react very quickly to low-altitude attacks, making it particularly effective against aircraft, cruise missiles, and low-maneuvering targets.

Meanwhile, the Aster 30 is the long-range variant and is also the core component of the SAMP/T Mamba defense system. The missile has a maximum intercept range of about 120km against aerodynamic targets and about 60km against ballistic missiles, reaching speeds of more than Mach 4.6.

*Aster stands out in the European defense system thanks to its ability to pursue targets at high speed. Photo: Army Recognition*

The Aster 30 is optimized for medium to long-range air defense, strategic target protection and terminal ballistic missile interception. The distinctive strength of both versions is the high maneuverability at the end of the trajectory thanks to MBDA's exclusive control system, which helps the missile maintain great accuracy when intercepting high-speed and unpredictable targets.

The Aster 30 missile is currently the standard supersonic interceptor missile equipped on NATO warships. The Aster 30 weighs 450kg, is 4.9m long, has a diameter of 180mm, and is equipped with a 15kg directional fragmentation warhead. The missile is guided by a combination of guidance, datalink and active radar in the terminal phase.

The Aster missile family includes a system of variants designed for various air defense and missile defense missions. From the Aster 30 platform, Europe developed the Aster 30 Block 1 to expand missile defense capabilities, allowing the destruction of short-range ballistic targets. Next is the Aster 30 Block 1NT, also known as B1NT, with a new radar seeker, increasing the ability to intercept medium-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic targets.

*Not only fast and accurate, Aster also possesses unique control technology that makes it a long-range killer protecting European airspace. Photo: Army Recognition*

There is also a vertical launch configuration VL Aster for warships and a configuration dedicated to the SAMP/T system using Aster 30 and upgraded variants. Europe is also studying the Aster Evolution version to enhance the ability to deal with new generation threats. This is one of the most highly rated air defense missiles in the world thanks to its speed, maneuverability and flexibility in combat.

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Source: https://congthuong.vn/ten-lua-aster-sat-thu-tren-khong-hang-dau-cua-chau-au-432738.html