The SAMP-T air defense system is designed to intercept aerial targets such as drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles.
And most likely SAMP-T will soon enter the war in Ukraine. Avia.pro news agency, citing a source from the Italian newspaper La Repubblica, said that France and Italy have agreed to supply the SAMP-T air defense system to Ukraine. SAMP-T may be part of the sixth arms support package that the Italian government is expected to approve for Ukraine in mid-November.
The SAMP-T air defense system is manufactured by the European corporation Eurosam (a joint venture between Aerospatiale, Alenia and Thompson-CSF). The mission is to protect military bases as well as against air threats such as tactical ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, anti-radiation missiles and drones. The SAMP/T was deployed operationally by the French Army and Air Force, as well as Italian Army in 2011.
A complete SAMP-T battery includes: Launch vehicle, Aster-30 missile and a fire control unit based on the Arabel multifunction electronically scanned array. Components of the SAMP-T system are mounted on the Italian Astra/Iveco truck and the French Renault Kerax 8×8.
Accordingly, the Renault Kerax 8×8 is designed with a weight of 12 tons, a maximum payload of 26 tons. The vehicle has a length of 10.1 m; 2.6 m wide and 3.5 m high, using a Renault DXi 11 turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 450 hp, allowing the vehicle to move at a maximum speed of 110 km/h and a range of 900 km.
For Iveco trucks, designed with a weight of 15 tons, the maximum payload is 17 tons. The vehicle has a length of 9.34 m; 2.5 m wide and 2.87 m high. Thanks to the Iveco Cursor-13 turbocharged diesel engine with a capacity of 450 horsepower, the vehicle can run at a speed of 90 km/h with a range of 800 km.
The strength of the SAMP-T lies in eight launch tubes equipped with Aster-30 two-stage solid-fuel long-range interceptors. The missile has a length of 4.9 m; with a weight of 510 kg of which its warhead weighs 20 kg. Due to its two-stage layout the missile can reach a speed of Mach 4.5 within 2.5 seconds. Furthermore the missile is highly maneuverable. Up to its mid-course the missile is guided using refreshed target data transmitted by the multi-function radar. During the homing phase the missile is guided by its electromagnetically active seeker.
Aster 30 has the capability to intercept targets at altitudes from 50 m to 20 km. Against aircraft targets flying at altitudes above 3 km, the maximum range of the Aster 30 is 100 km. At aircraft targets with altitudes below 3 km, the range of Aster 30 is 50 km.
The SAMP/T system can be adapted to work with various long-range radars. Detection range is 300 to 400 km, when using a Thales GM400 long-range radar. The launcher vehicle can be located up to 25 km from the radar vehicle. The system uses a NATO-compliant Link 16 communications architecture. The system can operate in standalone mode, or can be integrated in a coordinated network. This air defense systems can be coordinated by NATO command and control structure. This allows to combine radars, as well as air defense and anti-ballistic assets of various countries into one single network. If SAMP-T enters the war in Ukraine, the country’s air defense forces will be raised to a new level.
MBDA SAMP/T anti-air system with Aster 30 missiles – Why is it better than Patriot?
