The French Navy has announced that its air defense frigate Alsace has successfully intercepted a supersonic target launched from a Rafale M fighter using an Aster 30 missile, confirming the vessel’s operational readiness and validating the interceptor’s performance against complex, high-speed threats.
The test, conducted off the French coast and revealed by the Ministry of Armed Forces on October 9, 2025, simulated a realistic attack scenario.
It involved a Rafale M from the Naval Aviation Test Center firing a modified MICA air-to-air missile, serving as a target drone. The missile provided a demanding supersonic profile, forcing Alsace to detect, track and engage within seconds. The Aster 30 destroyed the target, confirming the effectiveness of the ship’s Herakles radar and combat system in live conditions.
Aster 30: from sea to land
Developed by MBDA under the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium, the Aster 30 equips FREMM and Horizon-class warships and the SAMP/T NG (MAMBA) ground-based air defense system.
Ukraine’s use of a SAMP/T system, jointly supplied by France and Italy, marked the Aster 30’s first combat deployment outside NATO territory. Operated by Ukrainian crews, it has helped to intercept Russian cruise missiles and drones since 2023.
In July 2025, France’s defense procurement agency conducted a long-range test of the Aster 30 Block 1 NT, confirming its ability to hit targets beyond 100 kilometers and at altitudes above 20 kilometers. The variant introduces a new seeker and upgraded electronics to counter faster, more agile targets, including short-range ballistic missiles.
MBDA markets the Aster 30 family as providing anti-ballistic and emerging hypersonic interception capability, describing the SAMP/T NG as having “autonomous capability against ballistic missiles”.
Preparing for the next threat
The Aster 30’s success has also laid the groundwork for future missile defense efforts. MBDA’s Hydis² (Hypersonic Defence Interceptor Study) program, unveiled at the 2023 Paris Air Show, is developing new ‘Aquila’ interceptors capable of defeating weapons traveling at speeds exceeding Mach 5. The initiative, involving several European partners, seeks to explore multi-stage designs and predictive tracking algorithms to extend protection into the hypersonic domain.
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