Early 2023, MBDA received a contract to produce 700 Aster 15, Aster 30 B1, and Aster 30 B1NT surface-to-air missiles for France and Italy. This order was later expanded to 918 missiles, with the United Kingdom also joining the contract.
Recently, MBDA delivered the first Aster missile under this agreement to the customer. At the same time, it was reported that production volumes for these missiles in 2025 were already five times higher than the initial plan, and the manufacturing cycle had been reduced to 30 months — down from 42 months in 2022, according to French outlet Opex 360.
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As Defense Express notes, beyond naval applications, these missiles are also used in the SAMP/T air defense systems — of which Ukraine currently operates up to two batteries, with a third expected to arrive in October this year. The SAMP/T can be described as a European counterpart to the Patriot system, with a threat engagement range of up to 100 km and the ability to intercept ballistic missiles.
However, SAMP/T may face some limitations in intercepting certain types of ballistic threats. Furthermore, Ukraine is struggling with a shortage of Aster 30 missiles, due to slow deliveries and limited production capacity.
One of the key bottlenecks in missile output has been the extended production cycle of up to 42 months per missile. MBDA is working to reduce this to 18 months by 2026.
One factor contributing to the long lead time is that missiles must be transported multiple times across the Alps between various production facilities in Italy and France. There appear to be no plans to consolidate manufacturing at a single site, as shareholders oppose centralizing production — even though a single missile consists of around 10,000 different components.
To overcome this, MBDA is focusing on expanding existing production sites and equipping them with robotic machining systems. Overall, the company plans to invest €2.4 billion into production between 2025 and 2029.
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