European missile manufacturer MBDA has accelerated production of its Aster family of surface-to-air missiles, reaching a fivefold increase in output for 2025 compared to earlier projections, French media outlet Opex360 wrote on July 30.
The ramp-up comes amid growing demand from European militaries and an urgent shortage of missiles for Ukraine’s SAMP/T air defense systems.
In 2022, MBDA was awarded a contract to produce 700 Aster 15, Aster 30 B1, and Aster 30 B1NT missiles for France and Italy. The order was later expanded to 918 missiles, with the United Kingdom joining the program.
Earlier this week, MBDA delivered the first missile under the expanded contract. According to Opex 360, the company has now exceeded its initial 2025 production targets by a factor of five and managed to cut the missile’s manufacturing cycle down to 30 months, down from 42 months in 2022.
Ukraine currently operates up to two batteries of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system, which uses Aster 30 missiles.
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A third battery is expected to arrive by October. Ukrainian defense media outlet Defense Express notes that SAMP/T, often described as a European equivalent to the US Patriot system, can intercept targets at ranges of up to 100 km and has limited capability against ballistic missiles.
However, Ukraine has faced a persistent shortage of Aster 30 missiles due to slow delivery schedules and a previously sluggish production cycle. MBDA is now aiming to reduce the manufacturing timeline to just 18 months by 2026.
One of the main bottlenecks has been the complex logistical chain: partially assembled missiles must be transported back and forth across the Alps multiple times between production facilities in Italy and France.
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Despite the inefficiency, shareholders have reportedly resisted consolidating production at a single site, even though each missile comprises over 10,000 components.
To accelerate output, MBDA is expanding its production footprint and investing in robotic machinery. The company plans to invest $2.74 billion in missile manufacturing between 2025 and 2029.
Earlier, reports emerged that a Russian Su-family military aircraft was shot down by the Italian-French SAMP/T air defense missile system during Russia’s full-scale war against Ukraine.
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