MBDA delivers first batch of Aster missiles under production ramp-up

On 23 July 2025 MBDA delivered the first batch of Aster missiles less than two-and-a-half years since the order was placed as part of a joint acquisition effort led by Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) and Eurosam: the Franco-Italian joint venture of MBDA and Thales.

This acquisition, launched in December 2022, is a co-operation between France and Italy and was supplemented by a further order in February 2025, aiming to strengthen air defence systems of European countries with the production of nearly 1,000 Aster missiles for the armed forces of Italy, the United Kingdom and France.

The accelerated production of this first batch of missiles is a first step towards MBDA’s missile production ramp-up efforts. It comes as the result of investments and actions taken by MBDA, in conjunction with its customers and partners, to meet the demand for increased missile production in Europe.

“The delivery confirms MBDA’s ability to meet its commitment to reducing the production lead-time of Aster missiles in 2026 by more than half compared to 2022 and deliver five times more Aster missiles than originally planned in 2025,” the company stated.

MBDA introduced measures to ramp-up production as early as 2024 to accelerate the delivery of missiles already ordered. These measures were then formalised in February 2025 through the order of additional Aster missiles for France, Italy and the UK.

MBDA has underpinned its ramp-up efforts through investment, in particular in its production facilities in Bourges and Selles-Saint-Denis in France and in Fusaro in Italy. The company says it has significantly recruited, built up raw material and component stocks, and supported its entire value chain in Europe.

“Between 2023 and 2025 MBDA will have doubled the production of new missiles for the group as a whole and will continue to invest EUR 2.4 billion between 2025 and 2029 to ensure the ramp-up of production over the coming years,” the company stated.

MBDA CEO Eric Béranger stated of the Aster production landmark, “The delivery of the first Aster missiles that benefited from significantly reduced production times is a success for all MBDA teams. I thank them for their ongoing efforts, as well as the industrial partners and state actors involved. It demonstrates our commitment to working alongside our customers to ensure the ramp-up of our industrial facilities and the strengthening of our defence industrial and technological base. This acceleration will provide Italian, French and British armed forces with essential air defence systems to protect European skies, as demonstrated by the use of Aster in the Red Sea and Ukraine, and increase NATO’s defence capabilities.”