On October 8th, France and Italy celebrated the successful test-firing of the Aster 30 B1NT missile, the newer variant of the Aster family of missiles employed by the SAMP/T air defense system. Developed jointly by both countries, the successful testing phase -nicknamed “Operation Mercury”- of the Aster 30 B1NT missile is expected to validate the improved capabilities that the new SAMP/T NG will field, particularly the capability to defeat hypersonic missiles.
A purely European initiative, the development of the SAMP/T air defense system had allowed Italy to operate three systems and France seven systems under the Mamba designation. Fruit of a collaboration between Thales and MBDA, the SAMP/T and the Aster 30 B1 (Block 1) had sought to provide medium range air defense capabilities sufficicient to engage mainly aircraft and cruise missiles at a range of 60 km.
As the most recent conflicts have demonstrated the growing lethality and availability of not only ballistic missiles of all sorts, but also of hypersonic missiles, the need for improving the capabilities of the SAMP/T has evolved into the SAMP/T NG and its cutting-edge Aster 30 B1NT missile.
The new Aster 30 B1NT missile will boast a range of 150 km against virtually all and every evolving aerial threats in the modern battlefield, including drones, cruise missiles and even hypersonic missiles capable of speed exceeding Mach 5 (5,600 km/h).
Fitted with a two-stage solid propellant motor, the 4.9 meter long and 180 mm diameter Aster 30 B1NT will be able to reach an altitude of 25,000 m flying at Mach 4.5. The first stage booster provides the thrust required to lift the 450 kg missile during its vertical launch before separating. The operational capabilties of the missile have been improved thanks to the new ground-based active electronically scanned array (AESA) Ground Fire 300 radar subsystem developed by Thales which will replace the legacy Arabel radar. The Ground Fire 300 radar is a multi-function radar able to track up to 100 targets while engaging 10 simultaneously, scanning the sky continuously as far as 400 km away.
As a multi-funtion radar, the Ground Fire 300 radar also helps the Aster 30 B1NT navigate with more precision. During the first portion of the flight, as the missile relies on its own onboard inertial navigation system it also receives frequent updates from the Ground Fire 300 regarding its own position as well as that of the target. It is only when in range of an incoming target that the homed-in Aster missile’s radar will start guiding the missile towards the target.
Mounted on 8×8 trucks, the SAMP/T NG combine tactical flexibility with firepower. Eight missiles are arrayed per each vertical launcher and there can be as many as six launchers accompanying a fire control truck mounting the Ground Fire 300 radar. In all, a fully equipped battery can defend a large area with up to forty eight missiles as part of a national ballistic missile defense system or assigned to protect a single high value point target. With these advanced capabilities, the system has now be ordered by Italy (10 units) and france (8 units). Italy has also recently confirmed that it will deliver two systems to help defend the Ukraine sky from Russian hypersonic and ballistic missiles.