Ukraine has secured one of its most significant long-term defense commitments yet after President Volodymyr Zelensky and French President Emmanuel Macron signed a 10-year security pact in Paris on Monday, opening the door for Kyiv to acquire the SAMP/T air defense system, and other advanced weapons and technologies. There are five things you might not have known about the French-Italian-produced SAMP/T air defense system, presented here as in-FAQs, infrequently asked questions.
Why would the SAMP/T be an important addition to Ukraine’s integrated air defenses?
The French-Italian SAMP/T system could fill a critical gap in Ukraine’s air defenses by giving Ukrainians a way to defend themselves from Russian ballistic missiles, without having to depend on on-again/off-again, White House-dictated deliveries of the comparable US-made Patriot system.
The problem is production – the manufacturers MBDA and Thales only can produce a few SAMP/T systems a year, and Ukraine needs dozens.
What is the SAMP/T?
SAMP/T (Sol-Air Moyenne Portée/Terrestre) system is a modern air defense system manufactured jointly by France and Italy. It fires the Aster 30 missile, an effective weapon capable of shooting down most aircraft at even long ranges, and ballistic missiles at medium and short ranges as well.
On paper, the most advanced versions of the Aster 30 can intercept an aircraft at 150 km., a mid-sized ballistic missile similar to the ones Russia shoots at Ukraine at 600 km., and a large-sized intercontinental ballistic missile at even greater ranges. The most expensive Aster 30 missile costs about $2 million. An entire SAMP/T system including radars, support vehicles, launchers and reloads reportedly costs around $500 million.
What are the limitations of the SAMP/T?
The two SAMP/T systems in use in Ukraine, firing older version Aster 30 missiles, had trouble hitting Russian ballistic missiles that maneuvered as they flew to target rather than flying in a predictable trajectory. MBDA/Thales make about 300 Aster 30 missiles a year; against the biggest Russian missile raids Ukrainian air defense forces could easily launch 20 Aster 30 missiles in a single night. Since SAMP/T is France’s and Italy’s premier air defense system, even moderate Ukrainian defense against Russian ballistic missiles risks depleting France’s and Italy’s stocks of missile to defend their own national airspace. Also, other countries (Denmark, Singapore) are in line with Ukraine for SAMP/T systems and Aster 30 missiles.
How does the SAMP/T compare to the US Patriot System?
The US Patriot air defense system was first fielded in the 1990s and compared to SAMP/T is battle-tested with decades of combat experience built into upgrades. By performance specs Patriot can hit a target at a higher altitude than SAMP/T, but it is designed to fire two interceptor missiles at every incoming target. The interceptor missile fired by the Patriot, the PAC-3, costs about five times the French-Italian Aster 30. A battle-ready Patriot system costs about twice a SAMP/T. US production of PAC-3 interceptor missiles is about twice that of Aster 30.
Beyond the European cost advantage, most analysts consider US arms deliveries to Ukraine unreliable. Because of US domestic politics the current US administration has reneged on sending Ukraine arms it promised at least three times; most recently in March. Ukraine has not seen arms cut offs from France or Italy and national leadership in both countries have said deliveries should continue without a break.
What is the big takeaway about the SAMP/T?
The SAMP/T is preferable to Patriot as the primary air defense system in Ukraine, but European production limits make widespread deployment of SAMP/T in Ukraine unlikely for years.