Italy's strategic shift: Advanced missiles and air defences for Ukraine

The Italian government, which has not announced the contents of aid packages for Ukraine, is changing its approach. According to local media, the transfer of precious weapons to the front, including the SAMP/T air defence system and long-range Storm Shadow missiles, will be confirmed in a few days.

"The ninth weapons package for Ukraine, which Defense Minister Guido Crosetto will present by the end of the month, will include not only the SAMP/T air defence system but also a batch of long-range Storm Shadow missiles, which can potentially strike Russian territory," reports the Italian newspaper "Il Fatto Quotidiano."

Storm Shadow (and its twin SCALP-EG) are long-range cruise missiles equipped with 450 kg warheads, BROACH (Bomb Royal Ordnance Augmented Charge). They can operate in multiple modes: contact explosion (upon impact), airburst, resulting in a shower of fragments over a large area, and penetration, where detonation occurs with a delay.

In addition to their significant destructive power, essential features of this weapon include a range of up to 500 kilometres and stealth technology, allowing them to evade even the best Russian anti-air systems. Each of these missiles weighs about 1,270 kilograms and uses inertial and satellite navigation systems and a fourth-generation IR sensor (IIR) for targeting. Initially, only the UK and France supplied these types of missiles to the front, but it was unofficially said that Italy had been doing this for some time. This information is now being reported directly.

The SAMP/T (Surface-to-Air Missile Platform/Terrain) is, in turn, one of the best Western air defence systems the Ukrainian army is receiving from Western allies. It is the result of efforts from Italian and French defence companies.

This system uses Aster 30 missiles to eliminate targets. Their range varies depending on the type of target they are meant to hit. Ballistic missiles can be neutralized at distances of up to 30 kilometres, while the range against airplanes extends to 120 kilometres. Each of these missiles weighs about 450 kilograms (15 kilograms attributed to the warhead) and measures approximately 5 meters. After launch, it reaches speeds of up to Mach 4.5 (~1,546 meters per second). The launchers are mounted on a truck chassis with an 8x8 drive configuration. Besides these, the SAMP/T system also includes radars, of which even the most basic (Arabel) can detect targets at up to 100 kilometres.