I am aware of the features of Shtil and Aster respectively. You suggested Aster 15 en lieu of Shtil VL. Both are roughly in the same range category but Aster 15 has a lot of other advantages as mentioned.
Now, IMHO, if IN adopts Aster 15 then a logical development would be to next go from Aster 15 to Aster 30 (as part of PAAMS or embedded in some other system e.g. with Israeli and/or Russian MF radars). But then, if IN does do that, then it doesn’t make sense to sink money into developing Barak-2 no more. After all, what does it add? Yet it appears that India is getting into Barak-2 development. Why?
Also, with Aster readily available for some time now, why was it not incorporated into P15A or the initial P17? It wouldn’t have been all that difficult to make the switch. Instead, the first P17 continues the SRL Shtil and P15A will use VL Shtil.
This still doesn’t rule out Aster, but I’ld expect at least one batch of P17A with VL Shtil and a switch to Aster not sooner than batch P17B (last 3-6 hulls of 12 total).
Last February,at the Aero India air show 2005, MBDA and BDL announced the signing of an MoU, to set up a joint venture later this year, which both the firms hope would also include collaboration for Mica/Aster air-to-air missile. The way that was phrased indicates that this is by no means certain yet, and could be either missile or both. Signing an MoU does signify a committment (incidentally mainly dealing with further development of Milan ATGW) but AFAIK it is not a binding agreement.
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