Germany to Consider Joint SAMP/T NG Air Defense System Production With France

Germany will consider France’s proposal for joint production of SAMP/T NG air defense systems.

German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius shared this with reporters during a visit to the KNDS Deutschland facility in Kassel, Hartpunkt reported.

According to him, the French initiative is interesting, but its implementation requires resolving a number of technical and operational issues.

One of them is the Bundeswehr’s current use of Patriot systems, which complicates the simultaneous operation of two different systems with similar tasks within the same armed forces.

Meanwhile, the minister emphasized that air defense development will remain necessary for many years to come, so various cooperation options remain possible.

“We must take this proposal very seriously, accept it and work it out in detail. Today I cannot say what the result will be,” Pistorius added.

French President Emmanuel Macron announced the proposal during a meeting of the Franco-German Intergovernmental Council last week in Brühl.

He proposed that Germany join the production of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T NG air defense system to strengthen European sovereignty in the air defense sector. Details of the initiative have not been disclosed.

Despite the French president’s proposal, Germany is currently expanding cooperation with the United States on Patriot systems. One of these steps is the production and significant expansion of production capacity for GEM-T interceptor missiles for Patriot air defense systems in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria.

SAMP/T NG

The SAMP/T NG system, proposed for joint production, is a new stage in the development of the European missile defense system.

France and Italy jointly developed the system as an improved version of the original SAMP/T, which has been in service with both countries since 2011.

The developers present the system as a fully European solution that provides air and missile defense for allied countries and includes participation in the production program.

In December 2015, the French Army signed a contract with Eurosam to develop the Aster 30 Block 1 NT (New Technology) missile for the next-generation SAMP/T NG air defense system. Italy joined the development program in December 2016.

The new missile is designed to engage targets at altitudes of up to 25,000 meters and ranges of up to 150 kilometers, including targets traveling at speeds above Mach 5. It is stated that this will allow the missile to intercept ballistic missiles with ranges of up to 1,500 kilometers.

In addition to the ability to use new missiles, the system is equipped with new radars: Leonardo’s Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radar for Italy and Thales’ Ground Fire 300 radar for France. Their declared detection ranges are up to 350 kilometers, with an altitude coverage of up to 30 kilometers.

The Italian government has already ordered four SAMP/T NG systems, while France has ordered eight. The French Armed Forces’ Air Warfare Center (CEAM-AWC) received the first system in February 2026.

The list of countries that have signed agreements to purchase SAMP/T NG systems is expanding. In addition to the countries currently developing the system, Denmark and Ukraine are expected to receive the new system.

It is currently known that Denmark and Ukraine will each receive four batteries of the new air defense system under existing agreements. In Ukraine’s case, France will temporarily transfer two SAMP/T systems while the ordered SAMP/T NG systems are being produced.