France, Italy, UK Strengthen Air Defense By Aster Missile

(MENAFN- Kuwait News Agency (KUNA)) PARIS, March 14 (KUNA) -- Paris, Rome and London announced on Friday that they demanded more than 200 Aster air defense missiles and accelerating the delivery of missiles already ordered, as part of a joint acquisition.
In a joint statement, French, Italy and the UK's defense ministries said that the countries - France, Italy and the UK - partaking in the Aster program confirm the order for 218 additional Aster missiles.
With this new contract, the Organisation Conjoint de Cooperation en matiere d'Armement (OCCAr) is strengthening the European missile industry.
The contract is related to the production of new Aster 30 B1s (for the SAMP/T NG for France and Italy, as well as the naval defense systems of the three nations) and Aster 15s (for the French Navy).
The contract also aims to accelerate production of the Aster missiles ordered in December 2022, with 134 additional missiles delivered between 2025 and 2026.
The statement said this shows France, Italy and the United Kingdom's strong commitment to strengthening their air defense capabilities.
This development came at a time when the European countries seek to boost their defense capabilities amid growing geopolitical tensions, thus pushing them to take independent steps to boost their defensive capabilities. (end)
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