Well, here we go. The French Navy demonstrates a ballistic missile defence capability using legacy Aster 30 missiles. Incidentally proving me wrong on my previous skepticism re this capability.
BZ and happy to see they can pull this off.
https://www.navalnews.com/naval-news...stic-missiles/
French Navy Air Defense FREMM Intercepts 3 Ballistic Missiles
EUNAVFOR ASPIDES is an EU military operation in the Red Sea, the Indian Ocean and the Gulf. The operation was launched a month ago
and its objective is to restore and safeguard freedom of navigation in the Red Sea and the Gulf.
The operation announced today on social media X(formerly known as Twitter):
“On March 21, an EUNAVFOR ASPIDES French ship while providing close protection to merchant shipping in South Red Sea, intercepted and destroyed 3 ballistic missiles posing a direct threat to the FoN.“
The French ministry of the armed forces issued the following press release:
On the morning of March 21, 2024, as part of the European operation ASPIDES, a French frigate operating in the south of the Red Sea detected three ballistic missiles coming from Yemen and targeting its position and that of the container ships that it she accompanied. The frigate, reacting in self-defense, engaged and destroyed the missiles.
Alongside their allies, the French armies contribute to maritime security and participate in the defense of freedom of navigation, particularly from the Suez Canal to the Strait of Hormuz, the objective of the EUNAVFOR ASPIDES operation launched by the European Union. on February 19.….
Based on the released image of the engagement, a salvo of three missiles were fired by
Alsace. The interception of three ballistic missiles is a complex task and shows the high level of training and professionalism of the crew, as well as the quality of the sensors and weapons systems fitted on the FREMM. Aster 30 long range surface to air missiles were likely used for the interception, with the targets tracked by the Herakles multifunction radar.
The interception of ballistic missiles in an operational context marks a first for the French Navy. The event also marks the first “kill” of a ballistic missile by an MBDA Aster family missile in combat. The capability was demonstrated in live condition back in December 2011, when an Aster 30 missile fired from a French Horizon type Air Defense Destroyer downed an Israeli Black Sparrow ballistic missile target (launched from an Israeli Air Force F-15 jet), but this was in a controlled, testing environment…
[[url=https://spacenews.com/french-air-force-intercepts-israeli-target-missile/]Erratum: This 2011 test actually involved land-based SAMP/T system with Aster 30, not a navy destroyer]