The SAMP/T Mamba system. Source: MBDA Systems.
The highly-touted French-Italian SAMP/T medium-range air defense system had failed miserably in real combat, the Wall Street Journal revealed in a report published on March 9.
The SAMP/T has software problems, according to the report, who also said that the system struggled with technical issues that prevented effective interception of ballistic missiles.
WSJ also said that the United States-made MIM-104 Patriot long-range air defense systems performed better than the SAMP/T and raised doubts about the reliability of the French-Italian system in high-intensity warfare.
In addition, the newspaper revealed that Ukraine quickly depleted its stock of Aster missiles, the system’s primary munition, limiting its effectiveness.
The SAMP/T, which was developed by the France-based Eurosam, is armed with Aster-30 radar homing interceptors originally developed for naval vessels with a range of up to 120 kilometers. The system utilizes THALES’s ARABEL multifunction fire control X-band radar which has a range of 100 kilometers.
Eurosam alleges that the system can counter an array of airborne threats including manned and unmanned aircraft, and is said to be especially effective against cruise missiles.
A spokesperson for Eurosam, the joint venture behind SAMP/T, has not yet commented on these performance concerns reported by WSJ.
In 2023, France and Italy supplied a SAMP/T system to Ukraine. The system was later destroyed, according to the Russian Ministry of Defense. Last year, Italy said that it would be sending another system to Kiev forces. However, it is still unclear if it has been delivered yet.
Ukrainian air defenses have very much collapsed in the last few months and with the reported half of U.S. military aid, Kiev was hoping to turn to Europe for help. Nevertheless, Europe does not appear to have the technological or economic capabilities to fill this gap.
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