France orders four more SAMP/T NG air-defence systems, bringing the French Air and Space Force to 12

France’s Directorate General of Armaments (DGA) announced on Wednesday, October 21, that it has ordered four more SAMP/T NG air-defence systems, according to the DGA. The order was placed through the Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR) with the Eurosam consortium, made up of MBDA and Thales. With the new order the French Air and Space Force will have 12 next-generation fire units. Ten will be delivered by the end of 2030, while the first system was delivered in early 2026.

The SAMP/T NG succeeds the Franco-Italian SAMP/T, known in French service as “Mamba”. The programme began in 2021 to counter threats that are faster, more agile and harder to detect in a more complex operating environment. The key change is the new fire control system with Thales’ GF300 radar, adapted to the capabilities of the Aster B1NT missile. The DGA says the SAMP/T NG, combined with the future Aster B1NT, will be the only European air-defence system able to intercept ballistic and hypersonic threats, meaning targets moving at more than Mach 5. The system is designed to use both the Aster 30 B1 and the Aster B1NT and to coordinate short and very short-range air defences. The Aster B1NT has a Ka-band seeker, new interception algorithms and upgraded electronics.

How a fire unit is organised

Eurosam says a fire unit can have up to six launchers with eight Aster missiles each, that is 48 missiles ready to fire. It also includes an engagement centre and a multifunction radar with an identification friend-or-foe system, which detects targets at more than 350 kilometres. The system provides 360-degree coverage, simultaneously engages aircraft, drones, cruise missiles and ballistic missiles at ranges beyond 150 kilometres, and comes into action in less than 30 minutes. France will receive the systems in a multi-layer arrangement combining Aster and MICA VL missiles. The SAMP/T NG is designed for integration into national air-defence networks and to work with NATO systems.

Besides France and Italy, the system has been chosen by Denmark and Ukraine, while other countries have expressed interest. Turkey has also shown public interest in SAMP/T, as examined in our analysis of Turkey’s wish for SAMP/T.