*Christos Loizou

The EUROSAM joint venture is the culmination of cooperation between French and Italian companies in the field of air defense. The Franco-Italian joint venture created in 1989 by MBDA and Thales focuses on the design and development of air defense systems that can operate on land as well as on sea platforms.

EUROSAM has developed the SAMP/T anti-aircraft system with its latest version, the SAMP/T NG, which will be available from 2025. The SAMP/T is a medium- and long-range multi-layered air defense solution with the addition of medium-range missiles to be its latest upgrade (see below regarding this).

The SAMP/T NG is designed to be able to operate in operational fields with intense electronic countermeasures. It offers increased A2/AD – Anti-Access / Area Denial capabilities and has a high level of autonomy, rapid deployment, and interoperability with various types of air defense networks. The latest version of the new generation SAMP/T NG features Ku-band search sensors to detect threats up to 600 km (theoretical range).

The launchers of a combat unit (squadron) of the SAMP/T NG can carry up to 48 ASTER 30/ASTER 30 Block 1 NT missiles in 6 ready-to-fire vertical launchers with a range of up to 150 km (B1 NT). Eurosam, in a related press release in October 2024, announced the first successful launch of the new Aster 30 B1 NT (New Technology) missile with new Ka-Band sensors from the SAMP/T NG system.

*The inside of the SAMP/T system command and control centre.

The ASTER rocket can be used in short-to long-range missions. During the early stages of its mission, ASTER is inertially guided using target data transmitted from the combat system control center. The maximum speed of the ASTER NT reaches Mach 4.5 in a range of up to 150 km, as mentioned above. 

ASTER technical characteristics:

• Weight: 450 kg.
• Length: 4.9 meters.
• Diameter: 180 mm
• Range: Up to 150 km

The system’s combat squadron requires approximately 20 personnel and can be flown by C-130, A400M, and other similar aircraft. It forms the core of the contribution of Franco-Italian cooperation to the development of its anti-ballistic and anti-aircraft capabilities, NATO.

The new additions

At the international defense and security exhibition EUROSATORY 2024, in Paris, the Eurosam consortium presented the SAMP/T system in its two variants, which carry, in addition to the ASTER missiles, medium-range missiles. 

*The EUROSAM stand at the EUROSATORY 2024 exhibition in Paris.

In particular, the French version has a Ground Fire 300 radar from Thales and medium-range and vertical launch MICA missiles of the new generation (VL/MICA NG), while the Italian version has a Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radar from Leonardo and medium-range CAMM-ER missiles.

* Kronos radar and CAMM-ER missile.

Also read: Ground Master 200 | The radar Thales sends to Ukraine

The CAMM-ER (Extended Range) hypersonic missile with a range of over 40 km is part of Italy’s Grifo air defense system, which is part of the EMADS (Enhanced Modular Air Defense Solutions) family of systems developed by MBDA. It has an active radio frequency detector (Active RF Seeker), increasing its efficiency in difficult conditions, while the light vertical launch system (Soft Vertical Launch) reduces the weight of the system by providing more flexible installation.

CAMM-ER Technical Features:

• Weight: 160 kg.
• Length: 4.2 meters.
• Diameter: 190mm
• Range: 40 km.

The intercept range of the VL MICA NG supersonic missiles is up to 40 km, the intercept altitude is estimated at 30,000 feet and they are equipped with AESA radar. According to the information available so far, the MICA missiles can be equipped with a passive infrared sensor (IIR) or an active radio frequency sensor (Active RF Seeker). The New Generation version is aimed at intercepting conventional threats already addressed by previous MICA versions at longer ranges and at more effectively countering threats from low-footprint unmanned systems.

You can read our related analysis of the capabilities of the VL MICA and VL MICA NG (Next Generation) systems here.

Technical characteristics of VL-MICA:

• Weight: 112 kg.
• Length: 3.1 meters.
• Diameter: 160 mm
• Range: 40 km.

The Minister of the Armed Forces of France, Sébastien Lecornu, in his statements on the occasion of the increased defense budget of France for 2025, stated that the budget for the SAMP/T NG jointly developed with Italy will be doubled to 500 million euros, while he emphasized the capabilities of the SAMP/T NG radars for 360-degree coverage and stated that the system could become an export success.

Also read: EUROSATORY 2024 | Missile Artillery Solutions from MBDA

Watch our exclusive video showcasing the SAMP/T NG system at EUROSATORY 2024 below.