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France orders four more SAMP/T NG air defence systems

France’s defence procurement agency ordered four additional SAMP/T NG air defence systems, taking the planned total to 12. The purchase through OCCAr comes with an accelerated target of ten systems by 2030, compared with eight before. A first system has already reached military evaluators; the overall 12-system objective remains set for 2035.

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An olive mobile air-defence launcher stands inside a bright hangar, with a separate radar truck farther back.

Four additional systems take the order to twelve

France has ordered four additional next-generation SAMP/T NG air defence systems, bringing its total order to 12. The French defence procurement agency announced the purchase on October 21. The systems are intended for the French Air and Space Force, as the new generation replaces its existing Mamba air defence equipment.[1], [2]

The order was placed with Eurosam, the partnership formed by missile manufacturer MBDA and electronics group Thales, through the European joint defence procurement organisation OCCAr. France and Italy launched the next-generation programme in 2021.[1]

The 2030 delivery target rises to ten

The purchase accompanies a faster delivery schedule. France’s original 2024–2030 military programming law envisaged eight systems by 2030 and 12 by 2035. The updated plan raises the 2030 target to ten, while keeping 12 as the total for 2035. The ten-system figure is the interim total scheduled for 2030.[1]

The first system undergoes military evaluation

A first system was delivered in April to CEAM, France’s military air expertise centre. The evaluation team was tasked with technical and operational checks covering deployment, mobility, energy autonomy, preparation and integration into an air defence command chain. The French configuration combines the GF300 radar, an ASTER 30B1NT interceptor and a new fire-control system.[1]

References

  1. News sourceOpex360France orders four more SAMP/T NG air defence systems↩1↩2↩3↩4
  2. News sourceAir & CosmosFrance’s SAMP/T NG order reaches twelve systems↩
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