Eurosam unveils new SAMP/T air defense variant at Dubai Airshow

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — The European consortium of Thales and MBDA unveiled its new long-range, ground-based air defense system, SAMP/T NG, the updated variant of the SAMP/T already in service with the Italian Army and the French Air and Space Force.

“The ground-based air defense system has undergone verification, qualificatio,n and launched production in 2021, and is expected to be delivered by 2025 to the first contractor: France and Italy,” Eva Bruxmeier, Eurosam’s managing director, told reporters at the Dubai Airshow, which is taking place Nov. 14-18.

SAMP/T NG was designed to protect armed forces and sensitive civil or military sites. The system has a 150-kilometer interception range and a 350-kilometer detection range, and it features a 360-degree multifunctional radar fitted with a rotating active electronically scanned array antenna based on gallium nitride technology — either the Kronos Grand Mobile radar by Leonardo, which Italy chose, or the Ground Fire 300 radar by Thales, which France chose.

“The multi-function radar is able to encamp in less than 15 minutes with only 2 operators. It complies with high mobility requirements either on civilian road, rail infrastructure, in aircraft due to its 20 feet ISO container standard size,” according to a Eurosam statement.

The system can launch the upgraded Aster 30 Block 1 surface-to-air missile to counter threats at short and long ranges. An electromagnetic active seeker was added to the original version of the Aster weapon to increase its accuracy in all weather conditions.

The air defense system can have up to six vertical launchers, and imagery of the weapon from the manufacturer shows each launcher has eight cells. A team of four people is needed to manage the system’s sensors and networks.

Eurosam hopes to eventually export the SAMP/T NG to customers outside of Europe. “The licenses for the whole system are issued by France, since Eurosam is registered there,” Bruxmeier told Defense News.

Agnes Helou was a Middle East correspondent for Defense News. Her interests include missile defense, cybersecurity, the interoperability of weapons systems and strategic issues in the Middle East and Gulf region.

阿联酋迪拜——泰雷兹和MBDA组成的欧洲财团推出了其新型远程地面防空系统SAMP/T NG，这是意大利陆军和法国空军及航天部队已服役的SAMP/T的升级版。

“该地面防空系统已于 2021 年完成验证、鉴定并投入生产，预计将于 2025 年交付给首批承包商：法国和意大利，” Eurosam 总经理 Eva Bruxmeier 在 11 月 14 日至 18 日举行的迪拜航展上告诉记者。

SAMP/T NG系统旨在保护武装部队和敏感的民用或军事设施。该系统拦截范围为150公里，探测范围为350公里，配备360度多功能雷达，该雷达装有基于氮化镓技术的旋转式有源相控阵天线——意大利选择的莱昂纳多公司的Kronos Grand Mobile雷达，或法国选择的泰雷兹公司的Ground Fire 300雷达。

根据欧洲防空导弹系统公司（Eurosam）的一份声明，“这款多功能雷达只需两名操作员，即可在不到 15 分钟内完成部署。由于其尺寸符合 20 英尺 ISO 集装箱标准，因此能够满足民用公路、铁路基础设施和飞机上的高机动性要求。”

该系统可发射升级后的Aster 30 Block 1型地对空导弹，以应对近程和远程威胁。在Aster导弹的原始版本基础上增加了电磁主动导引头，以提高其在各种天气条件下的精度。

这套防空系统最多可配备六个垂直发射装置，制造商提供的图片显示，每个发射装置包含八个发射单元。管理系统的传感器和网络需要一个四人小组。

Eurosam希望最终能将SAMP/T NG出口到欧洲以外的客户。“由于Eurosam在法国注册，所以整个系统的许可证都是由法国颁发的，”Bruxmeier告诉《防务新闻》。

阿格尼斯·赫卢曾任《防务新闻》中东记者。她的研究领域包括导弹防御、网络安全、武器系统互操作性以及中东和海湾地区的战略问题。