Second SAMP/T battery en route: Bolstering Ukraine's air defence
Italian sources reported that the second promised battery of the SAMP/T air defence and anti-missile system for Ukraine is on its way. We introduce what this system is and what it can do.
According to the portal Analisi Difesa, the second promised battery of the SAMP/T system should arrive in Ukraine within a few days. The second SAMP/T battery, donated by Italy, was previously deployed in Kuwait as part of Operation Inherent Resolve.
This is significant support, as the Ukrainians long ago ran out of missiles for S-300 class systems. Essentially, the only shield against Iskander-M ballistic missiles and aircraft carrying FAB bombs with UMPK modules consists of the few systems donated by the West.
The existing systems are far too few for the needs, so every battery is worth its weight in gold to the Ukrainians. The new unit will be able to protect another critical infrastructure like a power plant or a section of the front near Pokrovsk.
SAMP/T system — a modern European competitor to the Patriot
The SAMP/T air defence system was developed through collaboration between France and Italy and entered service in 2011. Since its introduction, it has been regarded as one of the most advanced in the world in air and missile defence, competing with the Patriot on the international market. This system is capable of effectively countering threats such as Iskander-M ballistic missiles.
A key element of the system is the Aster missiles, originally designed for ship defence. Over time, for the Aster-30 missile version, a land-based launcher housing eight units was developed, resulting in the SAMP/T system, which serves as a versatile air defence mechanism. Unlike the Patriot system, the SAMP/T features a compact design, enabling its transport on several trucks, and requires only 14 soldiers to operate.
Another advantage of the SAMP/T system is its radar, which can detect targets in a full 360-degree range. This is a significant advantage over the Patriot system, which has a detection field of only 120 degrees. In the case of the Patriot, to achieve full 360-degree coverage, three radars are necessary, at least until the introduction of LTAMDS radars, which countries such as Poland are awaiting.
It is worth mentioning, however, that the Arabel radar range in the SAMP/T is smaller, at over 62 miles. This shortcoming was only improved in the latest production models, which feature radars with a detection range of up to 249 miles.
The effectors of the system are Aster-30 missiles capable of destroying targets at a distance of approximately 19 miles in the case of ballistic missiles and about 75 miles in the case of aircraft. They are characterized by high speed, reaching Mach 4.5 (about 3451 feet/s), and the target is destroyed using a 33-pound fragmentation warhead. The warhead section is equipped not only with an active radiolocation guidance radar but also with small manoeuvring engines "PIF," which increase hit precision in the final flight phase.
Though it is not as refined a method of target elimination as the direct hits used in PAC-3 MSE missiles, it is sufficiently effective and, most importantly, significantly cheaper. The Ukrainians have been meticulously concealing information about the operation of the first SAMP/T system battery operating near Odessa, likely in accordance with the supplier's requirements.
