France Ordered Four Additional SAMP/T NG Air Defense Batteries

France has signed a contract with the Eurosam consortium for the production of four additional batteries of the SAMP/T NG air and missile defense system.

Thanks to this agreement, the total number of systems ordered by France for its own needs has increased to 12, according to Eurosam.

Development of the SAMP/T NG (New Generation) was officially launched in 2021 as a joint Franco-Italian project.

It is intended to replace earlier versions of the SAMP/T system, which have been in service since the early 2000s and are actively used to protect facilities.

History of the SAMP/T air defense system

The history of the original SAMP/T system dates back to the 1980s, when France and Italy joined forces to develop their own European medium- and long-range air defense system.

The main goal of the project was to create a system capable of effectively countering both aircraft and ballistic missiles, thereby competing with American Patriot systems.

SAMP/T NG surface-to-air missile system

The new SAMP/T NG variant is designed to utilize the entire line of Aster family anti-aircraft guided missiles, including the upgraded Aster 30 B1 and the latest Aster 30 B1NT (Block 1 New Technology). The system can also integrate short-range and very short-range air defense (SHORAD and V-SHORAD) capabilities. As a reminder, Ukraine has ordered four units of this version of the air defense system.

A key technical feature of the SAMP/T NG is the use of state-of-the-art active electronically scanned array (AESA) radars—the Thales GF300 radar for France or the Leonardo Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radar for Italy. These radars provide detection and tracking of ballistic targets at ranges exceeding 350 km and air targets at ranges up to 500 km.

Tactical and technical characteristics of the SAMP/T air defense system

The system’s key tactical and technical characteristics enable it to engage aircraft, cruise missiles, and UAVs at ranges exceeding 150 km, as well as short- and medium-range ballistic missiles at ranges from 25 to 45 km. The upgraded Aster 30 B1NT missile is equipped with a Ka-band homing seeker, which significantly improves direct-hit accuracy against high-speed targets.

The system provides 360° all-around protection and is capable of simultaneously engaging dozens of targets under conditions of electronic warfare and massive attacks. The system is highly mobile, deploys quickly, and requires a minimal number of personnel for combat duty.

As a reminder, France established an international school to train operators of the SAMP/T NG air defense missile system.

This need arose following the signing of a contract to sell air defense systems to Denmark and growing interest from other countries.