In terms of medium and long-range anti-aircraft defence, the Western offering is relatively limited, with the American Patriot, the Israeli David Sling and the Franco-Italian SAMP/T Mamba.
With a range of 100 to 200 km and a ceiling of 25 to 35 km, these systems are able to provide effective defense against combat aircraft, helicopters and missiles operating at medium and high altitude, as well as against short or medium range ballistic missiles in their descending phase.
Despite limited commercial success so far, particularly in the face of the ubiquitous American Patriot, Paris and Rome have together developed a new modernized version of the Mamba, called SAMP/T NG, already ordered in 2023, two copies, one per country, for development purposes.
The French Minister of the Armed Forces, Sébastien Lecornu, has just confirmed, during a meeting with his Italian counterpart Guido Crosetto, the order for the retrofit of the 7 remaining Mamba batteries, within the Air and Space Force, to the SAMP/T NG, with a first delivery which will take place as early as 2026.
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Paris orders the retrofit of 7 additional SAMP/T NG to modernize all of its Mamba batteries
La transformation of 8 French Mamba batteries to SAMP/T NG standard, is not a surprise. This was, in fact, planned as part of the Military Programming Law 2024-2030, which should also allow the ordering of 4 additional batteries in 2027.
According to the LPM, the Air and Space Force will therefore align, in 2032, at the end of these two contracts, 12 SAMP/T NG batteries, an increase of 50% compared to the current format, two of the ten initial batteries having been withdrawn since their entry into service. Let us recall that, at the same time, the AAE must receive, on this LPM, a total of 12 VL MICA batteries by 2035, including 9 batteries by 2030, which will replace the Crotale NG systems still in service.
The budgets for these two major operations, which will radically modernise and expand French air defence, have not been publicly announced. At best, we know that by 2024, no less than €700 million will have been invested by the armed forces in this area.
The SAMP/T NG, a new, very promising multi-layered and modular air and anti-ballistic defense system
The SAMP/T NG batteries will not only be more numerous within the Air and Space Force. They will also be much more efficient than the current Mamba, which are already very effective in Ukraine.
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