France, Italy to buy nearly 700 Aster missiles

By Esra Taskin

PARIS (AA) - France and Italy on Monday agreed to buy nearly 700 Aster medium-range anti-aircraft missiles from Eurosam.

On Dec. 30, the two countries sent a contract to the Franco-Italian consortium Eurosam for the production of about 700 Aster missiles, the French Foreign Ministry said in a statement.

According to the contract, Italy and France will get the Aster 15, Aster 30B1, and the latest version Aster 30 B1NT missiles.

The ministry said this is one of the largest orders of its kind, adding that this will require adaptations across the entire industry chain.