09 April 2021
Italy and France are committed to developing a new generation of air defence missile system. On 19 March 2021, the Director of the Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation (OCCAR), Admiral Matteo Bisceglia, signed the contract with the Italian French consortium Eurosam for the development of the next generation of surface-to-air medium-range defence system SAMP/T NG. The agreement involving the industries of these two countries was signed at the Paris office of the OCCAR on behalf of the Italian SEGREDIFESA/DNA and the French Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA) (OCCAR, 2021).
This agreement will complete the first one signed in 2016 for the upgrade of the Aster surface-to-air missile operated by the French Air Force and the Italian Army (MBDA, 2021). The current defence system has been developed since the 1990s through the cooperation of the two countries in the Eurosam consortium, composed of MBDA Italy, MBDA France, and Thales industries (Army Technology, 2020). Founded in June 1989, Eurosam is currently the leading European contractor and system design authority for the development, production, marketing, sales, and service support of a wide range of medium- and long-range naval and ground-launched air-defence missile systems (Eurosam, 2021).
Designed to operate in a civilian air environment, the SAMP/T system can cooperate with friendly military aircraft and is also fully integrated into the national air defence network and interoperable with NATO systems. This is the only European long-range defence system in service that provides 360-degree protection to the armed forces or civilian and military sites against a variety of threats, including ballistic, cruise or anti-radar missiles, UAVs, aircraft, and helicopters. Indeed, it can engage a wide range of aerial threats coming from any direction at distances greater than 100 km and 20 km of altitude (Eurosam, 2020). SAMP/T is a fully autonomous self-propelled system with truck-mounted modules. Each SAMP/T battery is normally composed of three different components: a Fire Control Unit equipped with a multifunction Arabel radar (MRI); an Engagement Module (ME); and up to six vertical transporter launchers, each with a capacity to carry 8 Aster 30 missiles (Army Technology, 2020) (Eurosam, 2020).
The current SAMP/T system will undergo a major update with the start of the new modernisation programme. The main changes announced by Eurosam (2021) concern:
- A new enhanced missile, the ASTER Block 1 NT (new technology), equipped with a new seeker and a new computer capable of dealing with the emerging threats.
- An updated launcher with new electronic equipment.
- A new multifunction Active Electronically Scanned Array rotating radar.
- A command-and-control module based on an updated open command and control software architecture and advanced connectivity.
These improvements will make the new missile system highly mobile, rapidly deployable, and manageable with limited personnel. The SAMP/T NG programme will evolve the current system to detect, identify, track, and counter emerging and future threats with higher precision. It will be used against new tactical ballistic and cruise missiles, UAVs, and high-speed supermanoeuvrable aircraft, which are faster, stealthier, more manoeuvrable, and often used in conjunction with cyber-attacks (OCCAR, 2021). With these enhanced features, France, Italy, and all other customers will be able to rely on the improved ability of the SAMP/T NG system to ensure their airspace sovereignty and better protect their population, territory, and troops (Eurosam, 2021).
Interoperability with other NATO air defence systems is another key aspect of the programme. The adoption of new technologies and capabilities will enhance the contribution of the SAMP/T system to NATO’s ballistic missile defence. Currently, North Atlantic Alliance’s latest tactical transport aircraft, such as the Airbus A400M and Lockheed-Martin C-130J Super Hercules, can transport the entire SAMP/T system anywhere in the world. On several occasions, the Italian and French military forces had the opportunity to test the defence system in the context of NATO operations. In March 2013, the SAMP/T was deployed for the first time within a NATO structure by the Italian Army and the French Air Force. On that occasion, they successfully intercepted a theatre ballistic missile target during an exercise (Army Recognition, 2021). Three years later, at the request of NATO, another SAMP/T system was deployed by the Italian army close to the southern Turkish border to defend the population from the threat of possible missile launches from Syria (Ministero della Difesa, 2021).
The new defence programme will have a significant impact on the industrial sector as well. SAMP/T NG will allow national industries involved in production to improve their quality in a key sector for European defence and to continue experimentation and technological innovation. At the same time, this programme will continue to protect both the security of European citizens and the European Union and NATO’s strategic interests. As underlined by the Italian Defence Minister, Lorenzo Guerini, “the integration process of the European Defence cannot be separated from a growing and constructive collaboration between the Italian and French Armed Forces and their cooperation in the industrial sector, in full harmony”. This collaborative relationship between the two States in the development of the new SAMP/T NG defence system can be considered as another necessary push for the European Union towards the ambition of being a relevant player in the global context (Ministero della Difesa, 2021).
Written by Vlad MELNIC, Researcher at Finabel – European Army Interoperability Centre
Sources
Army Recognition. (2021). ‘SAMP/T Mamba Aster 30 surface-to-air defense missile system’. [online] Available at: https://www.armyrecognition.com/france_french_army_vehicle_missile_systems_uk/samp/t_mamba_aster_30_surface-to-air_defense_missile_system_technical_data_sheet_pictures_video.html
Army Technology. (2020). ‘Aster 30 SAMP/T Surface-to-Air Missile Platform / Terrain, Europe’. [online] Available at: https://www.army-technology.com/projects/aster-30/#:%7E:text=The%20SAMP%2FT%20uses%20an,short%20range%20ballistic%20missile%20targets).
Eurosam. ‘Ground-launched systems’. [online] Available at: https://www.eurosam.com/products/ground-launched-systems/
Eurosam. (2020). ‘SAMP/T – Long-Range Surface-To-Air System Protection tailored to the needs of air space’. [online] Available at: https://www.eurosam.com/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/SAMP_T-GENERIC-US.pdf
Eurosam. (2021). ‘European cooperation in defence, OCCAR contracts Eurosam for SAMP/T NG Systems – The European long-range surface-air missile defense system enhanced to face future challenges’. Press Release. [online] Available at: https://www.eurosam.com/european-cooperation-in-defense-press-release-2021-03-19/
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OCCAR. (2021). ‘OCCAR signed contract on behalf of the French and Italian governments to launch the development and qualification of the SAMP/T New Generation’. [online] Available at: http://www.occar.int/occar-signed-contract-behalf-french-and-italian-governments-launch-development-and-qualification?redirect=/news%3Fpage%3D0%23news
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