Report: Europe’s top missile maker ramps up production
MBDA, Europe’s largest missile maker, has completed delivery of the first batch of ASTER air defense missiles under a high-priority accelerated production program, fulfilling urgent operational needs for France, Italy, the United Kingdom, and Ukraine.
According to OpexNews, this milestone comes just under 30 months after the initial order, well ahead of standard pre-war production timelines.
The delivery was coordinated through OCCAR, the multinational European procurement agency, and reflects what MBDA CEO Eric Béranger described as “an unprecedented industrial effort.”
“We have succeeded in halving production times and increasing delivery volume fivefold for 2025,” Béranger said, noting that €2.4 billion in investments have been committed between 2025 and 2029 to support the effort.
This includes expansion and modernization of MBDA facilities in Bourges and Selles-Saint-Denis in France and Fusaro in Italy, as well as the hiring of several hundred engineers and technicians and the stockpiling of critical components.
The urgency for enhanced production emerged in late 2022, when France’s DGA and Italy’s SEGREDIFESA placed an order for 700 ASTER 15 and ASTER 30 B1 missiles to support SAMP/T and PAAMS air defense systems. In March 2024, amid intensifying threats from Russia’s war on Ukraine and Houthi missile attacks in the Red Sea, French Defense Minister Sébastien Lecornu called on defense firms to cut delivery times, which had been as long as 42 months.
To push the defense industry into a faster production posture, Lecornu invoked prioritization powers and raised the possibility of requisitioning to secure component stocks. In February 2025, a contract amendment increased the total missile order to 918, incorporating the UK and mandating an accelerated delivery schedule.
According to MBDA, the new framework has resulted in a dramatic increase in 2025 production capacity, with deliveries now arriving at more than five times the pre-2023 pace.
The ASTER missile system has seen real-world combat application in multiple theaters. In Ukraine, the SAMP/T system equipped with ASTER 30 missiles has played in partnership with the Patriot system a central role in defending Kyiv against Russian ballistic missile strikes. In an interview with La Tribune Dimanche, Lecornu confirmed that more than 100 of the newly ordered missiles will be allocated to Ukraine to maintain a 100–200 km air defense coverage around the capital.
French Navy vessels operating under the EU’s Operation Aspides in the Red Sea have also fired roughly 20 ASTER missiles to counter missile threats, underscoring the system’s growing relevance in maritime defense.
“By coordinating with industrial partners and public stakeholders, we are reinforcing European defense with speed and scale,” Béranger said. “This is about building a sustainable production base that supports not only today’s operational needs, but future strategic requirements.”
The next phases of delivery under the OCCAR-led program are expected to continue into 2026, with further ramp-ups planned to meet demand from NATO members and key partners.
