France upgrades missile defences with 7 more SAMP/T systems

France's Ministry of Defence (MoD) has agreed a contract to buy seven extra SAMP/T NG missile defence systems on top of its original order.

The news was announced at the Conference on European Air and Missile Defense in Rome on Tuesday and the new kit will equip the French Air and Space Forces.

The contract will be procured via OCCAR, the  European intergovernmental organisation that manages collaborative armament programmes between the governments of Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, Spain, and the U.K.

As per a press statement by French multinational defence contractor Thales, each French SAMPT-NG section will be based on the Thales GF300 electronically scanned array radar and on the New Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG) produced by Thales.

The SAMP/T NG system is developed through a cooperation between Italy and France and fires the Aster family of surface-to-air missiles, it will be able to offer a multilayer capability by integration and coordination of SHORAD and V-SHORAD assets.

The ME-NG has been developed through a cooperation between Thales and MBDA Italy.

Hervé Dammann, Executive Vice-President, Land and Air Systems for Thales, commented: "This contract for seven additional SAMP/T NG for France, is a significant step forward in the European Air Defence. It further strengthens Thales’ role as a trusted partner of the French Air and Space Forces”. 

• You can read more details on the Thales website