Print Friendly, PDF & Email

The Italo-French Eurosam consortium, comprising MBDA France, MBDA Italia and Thales, has been contracted by the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) to produce SAMP/T NG new-generation ground-based air defence systems for the Italian Air Force.

The award is an amendment to the Famille des systèmes Surface-Air Futurs/Famiglia dei sistemi Superficie-Aria Futuri – Principal Anti Air Missile Systems (FSAF-PAAMS) sustainment and enhancement contract under which SAMP/T NG production was ordered in January 2023 for the Italian Army and French Air and Space Force.

The amendment was signed on 18 July 2023 by OCCAR-EA Director Joachim Sucker and Eurosam Managing Director Eva Bruxmeier in the presence of representatives from Italy’s General Secretariat of Defence/National Armaments Directorate (SEGREDIFESA/DNA), France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) and the Italian Air Force.

OCCAR-EA Director Joachim Sucker and Eurosam Managing Director Eva Bruxmeier shake hands on the signing of the contract amendment that will see the Italian Air Force receive SAMP/T NG new-generation ground-based air defence systems. (Photo: MBDA)

The number of systems to be produced for the Italian Air Force was not disclosed, and neither was the value of the contract amendment, but MBDA noted in a press release that the air defence systems to provided would include Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radars provided by Leonardo, which feature active electronically scanned-array (AESA) technology and are used mainly for surveillance and air defence in land and coastal environments.

Development of the SAMP/T NG system, launched in 2021 as a co-operative programme between France and Italy, is an enhancement of the Sol Air Moyenne Portée Terrestre (SAMP/T) system in service since 2010 and currently deployed in Europe and in the Middle East.

The SAMP/T NG system comprises: the Aster 30 Block 1 NT (new technology) interceptor from MBDA, which includes a new seeker and a new computer compared to the standard Aster 30 missile; an upgraded launcher; the previously mentioned Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radar for Italian systems and the Thales Ground Fire 300 radar for French systems; and a common command-and-control (C2) module based on upgraded open C2 software architecture and enhanced connectivity.

The SAMP/T NG system provides 360-degree aerial surveillance coverage out to more than 350 km and a interception range of more than 150 km. According to MBDA, the system can operate in a dense civilian air environment, in co-operation with friendly military aircraft and fully integrated into air defence networks; can counter emerging and future threats as diverse as hypersonic missiles, manoeuvring ballistic missiles (including with multiple re-entry vehicles), high-velocity cruise missiles, unmanned aerial vehicles and highly manoeuvring aircraft, in a saturation attack scenario and in a challenging cyber environment; and can deploy quickly with a limited number of personnel.

Peter Felstead