European competitor of the Patriot air defense system arrived in Ukraine
The first SAMP/T air defense system of French-Italian production has entered service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine. It belongs to the class of long-range air defense systems. The transfer of the system to the Ukrainian army was first reported by La Stampa.
The Italian newspaper’s article notes that 20 Ukrainian specialists will be responsible for the maintenance of the SAM system. The SAMP/T system was originally developed by Italian and French engineers to protect important facilities from air attacks. It is capable of intercepting ballistic missiles, drones, helicopters, airplanes and cruise missiles.
The range of the aircraft is 100 km. The SAMP/T intercepts ballistic missiles at a distance of up to 25 km with an effective ceiling of 25 km. The SAM is manufactured by the Eurosam consortium founded by MBDA France, Thales and MBDA Italy. The launch weight of the anti-aircraft missile is 450 kg with a warhead weight of 20 kg. In addition to Italy, France and Ukraine, Singapore has SAMP/T systems.
