European defense-tech companies MBDA and Thales received a contract together to produce four additional firing units for the SAMP/T NG air defense system, MBDA said Friday. The award was granted by the Organization for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of the French government.
MBDA and Thales are part of Eurosam, an Italian-French joint venture that designs, develops, and produces long-range ground and naval air defense systems.
The SAMP/T NG system is designed to manage the munitions of Eurosam’s ASTER family (ASTER 30 B1 and ASTER B1NT). It offers a multilayer capability by integrating and coordinating SHORAD and V-SHORAD assets, providing comprehensive protection against a wide range of threats, MBDA explained.
The main capabilities of the SAMP/T NG system include full integration into national and NATO air defense networks; quick deployment with a limited number of personnel for 360° protection of armed forces, dense civilian environments, and sensitive military sites; and simultaneous defeat of all types of threats in any combination.
The system is designed to counter emerging and future threats such as maneuvering ballistic missiles, re-entry vehicle ballistic missiles, high-speed tactical missiles, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs), and highly maneuvering aircraft in saturating attack scenarios and challenging cyber environments, in cooperation with allied military aircraft.
The SAMP/T NG firing units will be delivered to the French Air and Space Force in a multi-layer ASTER / VL MICA configuration.
The new deal brings the total number of SAMP/T NG systems ordered by France to 12.
