On 28 July 2023, concurrently with the Horizon Mid-Life Upgrade (MLU) contract signature, the OCCAR-EA Director signed two additional orders within the FSAF-PAAMS Sustainment & Enhancement (S&E) Contract. This contract will provide an extended capability for the Aster 30 B1NT naval, taking into account latest naval threats highlighted during the Horizon risk reduction study and PAAMS NG naval air-defence system Preliminary Definition activities managed within the S&E contract. The development phase for the new generation of Aster 30 B1NT was launched in 2016, in cooperation between France and Italy through the S&E contract.

Today’s naval munition capability enhancement follows the step of Aster 30 B1NT naval and ground capability extension launched in 2021, continuing to push Aster munition family’s boundaries for much higher performance by incorporating lessons-learnt and knowledge of up-to-date threats highlighted during SAMP/T NG ground air defence system development. These orders will manage the evolution of the FR-IT-UK Vertical Launching System (VLS) to meet FR-IT requirements, driven by the Horizon MLU Contract.

This is a further demonstration of OCCAR-EA’s agility to incorporate innovation into the development baseline of complex weapons systems whilst strengthening the long-lasting cooperation amongst France, Italy and UK paving the way for future Tri-National achievements and partnership opportunities.

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