Second SAMP/T system to bolster Ukraine's missile defenses

The Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs confirmed that Ukraine will receive a second SAMP/T system battery, the only European solution capable of countering ballistic missiles. Here are the performance details of this system.

According to Reuters, Italian Minister of Foreign Affairs Antonio Tajani admitted in an interview with a local radio station that a second SAMP/T system battery will be delivered to Ukraine as previously leaked. It will most likely be the battery currently deployed in Kuwait, which is expected to return to Italy soon.

This is in response to desperate pleas from Kyiv, whose own anti-ballistic capabilities have been depleted due to a lack of missiles for Soviet-era systems. The number of Western systems delivered is far from sufficient compared to the needs.

Introduced into service in 2011, the Franco-Italian SAMP/T (Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain) air defense system is one of the world's most advanced anti-ballistic systems.

It is based on using Aster missiles initially designed for ship defense. From the Aster-30 version, they can also be used on land. The SAMP/T system, due to its younger age, differs significantly from the Patriot system.

The European design is much more compact, allowing everything to fit on a few trucks without needing towed trailers with radar, as with the American design. Another advantage is the minimal crew requirement 14, compared to 90 soldiers for the Patriot. It also uses vertical launchers that hold eight missiles each.

A significant advantage of the SAMP/T system is its radar, which provides 360-degree target detection capability. This is impossible with the current configurations of the Patriot system, which are equipped with a sector radar with a detection field of 120 degrees. Thanks to the IBCS architecture or the still-in-testing LTAMDS radar, this issue can be mitigated by collecting targeting data from other radars.

For immediate solutions, the only option is pairing at least two radars per Patriot battery (only such variants were sent to Ukraine). With SAMP/T, this problem doesn't exist. However, another issue is the not very impressive range of just over 60 miles for the primary "Arabel" radar, made with PESA (Passive electronically scanned array) technology, allowing the engagement of ten targets simultaneously.

Whether the Italians will deliver the system in this configuration or with a newer radar, Kronos Grand Mobile High Power or Ground Fire 300, made with AESA (Active electronically scanned array) technology with a detection range of 186 miles.

The system's interceptor missiles are the Aster-30, designed by the MBDA corporation. They enable the engagement of targets at around 19 miles (ballistic missiles) or around 75 miles (aircraft) from the launcher. The missiles reach speeds of Mach 4.5 (3451 mph) and destroy the target with a 33-pound fragmentation warhead.

It is worth noting that the warhead is equipped with "PIF" maneuvering engines to bring it as close as possible to the target. While not as sophisticated as the PAC-3 MSE missiles, it allows a much more acceptable unit price with similar effectiveness.

One of the Swiss air defense system comparison documents mentioned that the unit cost of the Aster-30 is $2 million per piece, while for the PAC-3 MSE, it is about $3.8 million, according to data from the US DoD from 2023.