During the Second European Air and Missile Defence conference held in Rome Wednesday, Sébastien Lecornu, French Minister of Armed Forces, officialised the contract signed through OCCAR-EA to launch the serial production of seven SAMP/T NG sections for the French Air and Space Force. With this latest order, the SAMP/T NG system is preparing the full-scale serial production phase.
This order is an additional step towards the renewal of the European Medium-Range Air Defence ground capabilities, following the SAMP/T NG development launched by the two Nations in 2021. It completes the SAMP/T NG sections ordered respectively in July 2023 for the Italian Air Force and early 2024 for the Italian Army.
OCCAR-EA and eurosam are proud of this achievement, result of a close work with the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) and the Segretariato Generale della Difesa (SGD). This contract reinforces the existing cooperation between France and Italy as well as with OCCAR-EA.
OCCAR-EA, eurosam and its members, MBDA and Thales will continue to lead the way in state of the art and sovereign Air-Defence systems for the benefit of the French and Italian Air Forces, the Italian and French armies and for the Italian and British Navies. These advanced air defence systems are crucial in the current global context to respond to increasingly challenging threats.
SAMP/T NG is the new version of the SAMP/T system today in service in France and in Italy. SAMP/T NG is a strategic system that offers an advance anti-access / area-denial capability. SAMP/T NG is the only European medium-range air defence solution guaranteeing air sovereignty as well as protection of the armed forces and sensitive civil or military sites against all current and future threats (cruise missile, ballistic missiles, anti-radar missiles, UAV, helicopter and aircraft).
Designed to operate in a civilian air environment, the system is capable of operating with friendly military aircraft. It is fully integrated into the national air defence network and fully interoperable with NATO / coalition systems. SAMP/T NG extended engagement capability provides 360-degree protection capable of simultaneously engaging any combination of air and missile threats further than 150 km.
SAMP/T NG Section has four main components:
- Up to 48 Aster missiles ready to fire
- 1 multi-function radar module able to detect and identify targets further than 350 km
- 1 engagement module
- Up to 6 launchers modules capable of carrying 8 missiles each
The whole system is mobile and can be operational in less than 30 minutes.
The eurosam GIE (Economic Interest Grouping) is a Franco-Italian joint-venture created between MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales. For more than 35 years, it has been the industrial prime contractor and design authority for Aster missile-based air defence systems.
The result of cooperation between France and Italy, extended to the United Kingdom, the systems developed by eurosam both in their land (SAMP/T) and naval (SAAM and PAAMS) applications have proven their effectiveness in combat
Today, eurosam is positioned as the only European system manufacturer capable of offering sovereign medium and long-range air defence solutions. To meet current defence challenges, eurosam continues to innovate to offer its customers defence systems able to defeat current and future threats. This ability to anticipate and to innovate is based on the recognised expertise of its teams.