Overview  |  Description  |  Technical card  |  Industrial card  |  Equipment and ammunition  |  Countries equipped  |  Cooperation

The aim of the PAAMS programme (Principal Anti-Air MissileSystem), launched in June 1999, is to design and manufacture the principal anti-air weapon system new generation of air defence destroyers & frigates:

  for UK: T45 destroyer,
  for France and Italy, Horizon frigate which must take part to active service around 2008.

The PAAMS system, developed by major European missile company actors (MBDA, TAD, Selex, BAé) gathered inside EUROPAAMS GIE under the contracts of the Délégation Générale pourl’Armement (DGA) acting on behalf of the three nations, will be anaval air defence system able simultaneously to fulfil threetasks:

  Self defence of the carrying vessel,
  Local areadefence for a warship group
  Medium range air defence for a warship group.

From a technical viewpoint, the PAAMS system shares numerousitems with the FSAF systems (family of future air defence missiles) and especially the Aster missile.