26. October 2015

Successful Launch of Aster 30 Missile from Andrea DORIA

On Tuesday the 26th of October 2015, Italian Navy Ship Andrea DORIA successfully launched an Aster 30 missile during the First Maritime Missile Defence Exercise conducted in the Scottish Hebrides Firing Range.

The firing took place during the “At Sea Demonstration 2015 (ASD15)”, a NATO international exercise which is conducted and organised by the Maritime Theatre Missile Defence Forum (MTMD Forum). This year the activity included the launch of several targets that are simulating Tactical Ballistic Missiles and in this scenario the Andrea DORIA vessel was responsible for the protection of a US ship that was providing Missile Defence cover for the naval force. 

The ASD15 placed a great emphasis on system interoperability, where various Navies launched different missiles against separate targets and all at the same time.

The firings took place in very rough conditions (sea state 6) and with a strong North Atlantic wind. To date, regardless of the challenging conditions, the PAAMS system has performed as designed, showing the validity of the product against the specification. 

OCCAR supported this activity (being responsible for In Service Support) by working on the technical preparations, simulation forecasting, risk reductions tests, onboard firing assistance, data recording and results analysis. OCCAR also procured the unique Italian munition equipped with UK compliant telemetry equipment.