France and Italy plan to produce 700 additional Aster anti-aircraft missiles. This production order shows the will of both countries to “further modernize their air defenses from the ground and from ships,” the French Ministry of Defense announced today in Paris. A sum for the order was not mentioned. There was also no talk of a possible delivery to Ukraine.
A delivery of this air defense system developed by France and Italy to the Ukraine is currently under discussion, especially since France has not yet decided to deliver battle tanks.
Range of up to 100 kilometers
The French-Italian consortium Eurosam had already been informed regarding the production order for the 700 anti-aircraft missiles at the end of December. “This is one of the largest orders for these anti-aircraft missiles, which are the only system in Europe that have these capabilities,” the ministry said.
The order includes several types of anti-aircraft missiles with a range of up to 100 kilometers. French Defense Minister Sebastien Lecornu met his counterpart Guido Crosetto in Rome at the end of last week.
