The Spanish armies will order Mistral anti-aircraft systems from France for €330m

Entering service in 1988, the Mistral very short-range anti-aircraft missile is today one of the most exported missiles of this type on the planet, as well as one of the most efficient. As such, it is now in service with some thirty armed forces, including 8 belonging to NATO, both to protect land forces and naval units, or to arm combat helicopters. Since 1988, the missile initially designed by Matra, which has since become MBDA, has undergone several substantial improvements. The latest version, the Mistral 3, entered service a few years ago with the Army, and incorporates a new thruster to increase the range of the missile beyond 7 km at a speed close to Mach 3 , as well as a new seeker that is more accurate and offers better resistance to countermeasures, and a reinforced warhead. It can attack combat aircraft operating at low altitude as well as helicopters and drones, with a reliability greater than 99% and a success rate during tests of around 97%.

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