French Air and Space Forces bolster defence with advanced SAMP/T NG
The French have decided to order seven components of the medium-range air defence system SAMP/T NG for the French Air and Space Forces. Here, we'll showcase the performance of the latest iteration of this European contender to the Patriot system.
According to Eurosam, the decision was made on 17 September 2024, during the second European conference dedicated to air and missile defence, which took place in Rome. The order was signed under the OCCAR-EA platform, allowing the latest generation of the SAMP/T system to enter serial production.
This marks the conclusion of the development process of the NG version, initiated in 2021. The French contract complements new radars purchased with Italy in 2023. Now, the French have decided to acquire new launchers.
SAMP/T NG — advanced radars with impressive capabilities
The SAMP/T NG system is the latest incarnation of the SAMP/T system, with one and soon two batteries that will also protect Ukraine. The newest version includes two changes.
The first is using significantly better 360-degree radars based on active electronically scanned array (AESA) technology, vastly superior to older passive electronically scanned array (PESA) antennas. The old radar had a range of over 100 km and could guide ten missiles simultaneously.
Meanwhile, the new Kronos Grand Mobile High Power radars from Leonardo and the almost identical Ground Fire 300 radars from Thales allow for the detection of objects with a radar cross-section of 0.01 square metres and offer a detection range of up to 400 km. The Leonardo radar can track over 1000 objects, with 30 simultaneously targeted.
SAMP/T NG — new missiles to provide a range exceeding 150 km
This is a significant improvement, which, combined with the new Aster 30 Block 1NT missiles, which have a range of over 150 km against aircraft and likely increased range against ballistic missiles (over the current 30 km), will significantly enhance the capabilities of France, Italy, and potential future users.
The Aster-30 missiles are a two-stage design. The first segment falls off once the engine burns out, and a smaller section with its own propulsion and a 15 kg fragmentation warhead continues to the target. It also has small manoeuvring thrusters of the "PIF" type to improve hit accuracy in the final interception phase. This is a less sophisticated solution than the kinetic energy hit-to-kill warheads of the PAC-3MSE missiles but significantly cheaper.
It is also worth noting that the missile has an active radar seeker. Therefore, it is a “fire-and-forget” design, which allows the system to defend against simultaneous attacks from multiple objects from different directions.
A SAMP/T system battery consists of a truck with a radar, a command centre, and up to six launchers containing eight missiles each. This system's significant advantage over the older Patriot is its ability to be operated by only 19 soldiers and deployed in less than 30 minutes.
