The DGA placed the order through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation, OCCAR, with eurosam, the consortium comprising MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales. Eurosam said the French Air and Space Force would receive the units in a layered configuration combining Aster and MICA VL missiles.
New radar and fire control
SAMP/T NG succeeds the Franco-Italian SAMP/T, known as Mamba in French service. Development began in 2021 to address increasingly fast, manoeuvrable and stealthy threats in more complex operating environments.
The programme introduces a new-generation fire-control system incorporating Thales’ GF300 radar. The radar is adapted to the capabilities of the Aster B1NT missile, which will extend the system’s interception capability.
The DGA said SAMP/T NG, paired with the future Aster B1NT, would be the only European surface-to-air defence system capable of intercepting ballistic and hypersonic threats. It defined hypersonic speeds as exceeding Mach 5, or five times the speed of sound.
Layered protection against air and missile attacks
SAMP/T NG is designed to employ Aster 30 B1 and Aster B1NT missiles and coordinate short-range and very-short-range air defence assets. France’s Aster/MICA VL configuration will combine different missile capabilities within that layered approach.
Eurosam says the system provides 360-degree protection and can simultaneously engage combinations of air and missile threats at distances beyond 150 kilometres. Its intended targets include aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and manoeuvring ballistic missiles.
The system is designed for integration into national air defence networks and interoperability with NATO and coalition systems. It can also operate alongside friendly military aircraft in civilian airspace.
Mobile firing units
A firing unit can include up to six launchers carrying eight Aster missiles each, providing 48 missiles ready to fire. It also comprises an engagement module and a multifunction radar with an identification friend-or-foe module.
According to eurosam, the radar can detect and identify targets beyond 350 kilometres. The mobile system can become operational in less than 30 minutes.
The Aster B1NT incorporates a Ka-band seeker, new interception algorithms and updated electronics. Eurosam says these changes improve its performance against complex threats, including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles and hypersonic missiles.
Export customers join France and Italy
The DGA said Denmark and Ukraine had also selected SAMP/T NG for their air defence requirements. Other countries have expressed interest, although the agency did not identify them.
The additional French order expands the programme’s domestic commitment alongside those export selections. Eurosam has served as industrial prime contractor and design authority for Aster-based air defence systems for more than 35 years.
