Italy orders four SAMP/T new-generation air defense systems

Editor’s note: This article has been corrected to note Eurosam is a French-Italian joint venture.

PARIS — Europe’s Organisation for Joint Armament Co-operation signed a contract for four SAMP/T NG air-defense systems for the Italian Army, as armed forces across the continent continue to upgrade their missile defenses.

The amendment to an existing framework contract also includes upgraded Aster air defense missiles for Italy’s army and navy, prepares future serial production of SAMP/T NG systems for the French Air Force and covers the U.K buying more equipment for the mid-life update of its Aster intercepters, OCCAR said in a Feb. 1 statement . The European organization manages defense-equipment projects.

Russia’s invasion of Ukraine has created urgency among European countries to beef up air defense, as well as replace systems donated to Ukraine. Germany has rankled French sensitivities by proposing the IRIS-T system by Diehl Defence and the U.S.-made Patriot for its European Sky Shield Initiative, rather than the SAMP/T developed by Thales and missile maker MBDA.

The global context “demonstrates the importance to provide upgraded air-defense systems to be able to face more and more challenging threats,” OCCAR said.

French President Emmanuel Macron in June warned against rushing to buy air defense capabilites, as purchasing off-the-shelf would mean a lot of non-European equipment. He called the war in Ukraine a brutal reminder of the vital nature of air defense.

In addition to SAMP/T and IRIS-T, European missile air defense systems include the National Advanced Surface-to-Air Missile Systems, better known as NASAMS, developed by Kongsberg and Raytheon. All three systems as well as Patriot have been supplied to Ukraine.

Norway ordered new NASAMS launchers and fire distribution centers to replace equipment donated to Ukraine for about 1.4 billion kroner (U.S. $123 million), Kongsberg said on Jan. 31 .

SAMP/T NG is an enhanced version of the system in use with the French and Italian forces, equipped with new-generation Aster intercepters and more powerful multifunctional radars from either Thales or Leonardo. The system will be delivered from 2025, according to Eurosam, the French-Italian joint venture that is the main contractor.

OCCAR in July signed an amendment to the framework air defense missile contract, known by its combined French-Italian acronym FSAF-PAAMS, for the purchase of five SAMP/T NG systems for the Italian Air Force, with a value of about €700 million.

SAMP/T NG has a detection range of more than 350 kilometers and an intercept range of more than 150 kilometers, and can engage multiple targets at the same time, according to Eurosam. The system uses MBDA’s Aster missile, a 450 kg (992 lb) two-stage intercepter with a length of 4.9 meters (16 ft) that can reach Mach 4.5 and is capable of high G manoeuvres.

A complete SAMP/T NG system includes a radar providing 360-degree coverage, a command-and-control module, and as many as six launchers, each fitted with eight Aster 30 missiles, with a battery typically requiring 20 crew members, according to the manufacturers. Each launcher can fire its eight missiles in about 10 seconds.

Rudy Ruitenberg is a Europe correspondent for Defense News. He started his career at Bloomberg News and has experience reporting on technology, commodity markets and politics.

编者注：本文已更正，指出 Eurosam 是一家法国-意大利合资企业。

巴黎——欧洲联合军备合作组织与意大利陆军签署了一份合同，为其提供四套 SAMP/T NG 防空系统。与此同时，整个欧洲大陆的武装部队都在继续升级其导弹防御系统。

欧共体2月1日发表声明称，对现有框架合同的修订还包括为意大利陆军和海军升级Aster防空导弹，为未来法国空军SAMP/T NG系统的批量生产做准备，并涵盖英国为其Aster拦截导弹的中期升级采购更多设备。该欧洲组织负责管理国防装备项目。

俄罗斯入侵乌克兰促使欧洲各国加快加强防空能力建设，并更换捐赠给乌克兰的防空系统。德国提议在其“欧洲天空之盾”计划中采用迪尔防务公司（Diehl Defence）的IRIS-T系统和美国制造的“爱国者”导弹系统，而不是泰雷兹公司（Thales）和导弹制造商MBDA公司联合开发的SAMP/T系统，此举激怒了法国。

欧共体表示，全球形势“表明，提供升级的防空系统对于应对日益严峻的威胁至关重要”。

法国总统马克龙在6月警告不要急于购买防空装备，因为直接购买现成装备意味着大量非欧洲产品。他称乌克兰战争残酷地提醒人们防空的重要性。

除了SAMP/T和IRIS-T之外，欧洲导弹防空系统还包括由康斯伯格公司和雷神公司联合开发的美国国家先进地对空导弹系统（NASAMS）。这三种系统以及“爱国者”导弹系统都已提供给乌克兰。

挪威孔斯伯格公司1月31日表示，挪威订购了新的NASAMS发射器和火力分配中心，以替换捐赠给乌克兰的设备，价值约14亿克朗（1.23亿美元）。

SAMP/T NG是法国和意大利军队正在使用的系统的升级版，配备了新一代Aster拦截导弹和来自泰雷兹或莱昂纳多公司的更强大的多功能雷达。据主承包商——法意合资企业Eurosam公司称，该系统将于2025年开始交付。

7 月，欧共体签署了框架防空导弹合同的修正案，该合同以其法意联合缩写 FSAF-PAAMS 而闻名，旨在为意大利空军购买五套 SAMP/T NG 系统，价值约 7 亿欧元。

据欧洲导弹系统公司（Eurosam）称，SAMP/T NG的探测距离超过350公里，拦截距离超过150公里，并可同时攻击多个目标。该系统使用MBDA公司的“紫菀”（Aster）导弹，这是一款重450公斤（992磅）、长4.9米（16英尺）的两级拦截导弹，最高速度可达4.5马赫，并具备高过载机动能力。

一套完整的SAMP/T NG系统包括一个可提供360度全方位覆盖的雷达、一个指挥控制模块，以及多达六个发射装置，每个发射装置配备八枚Aster 30导弹。据制造商称，一个导弹连通常需要20名操作人员。每个发射装置可以在大约10秒内发射八枚导弹。

鲁迪·鲁伊滕贝格是《防务新闻》的欧洲记者。他的职业生涯始于彭博新闻社，拥有报道科技、大宗商品市场和政治方面的经验。