Eurosam Achieves Europe’s First-Ever Intercept of a Theater Ballistic Missile

Alain Juppé, Minister of Defence and of Veteran Affairs, commended the successful first qualification firing of the Sol-Air de Moyenne Portée Terrestre (SAMP/T) ground-based medium-range air-defence system against a Theatre Ballistic Missile (TBM) representative threat.

The French armaments agency, Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA), carried out the firing on Oct. 18 from the DGA Essais de Missiles test range at Biscarosse, in the Landes district in south-western France.

The SAMP/T is the first European weapon system to have such a capability. It is suitable for inclusion in the ALTBMD (Active Layered Theatre Ballistic Missile Defence) project, with which the Alliance plans to implement an Anti-Tactical Ballistic Missile defense system for Europe.

SAMP/T is a Franco-Italian program which also provides ground-launched, medium-range air-defence against conventional threats (aircraft, cruise missiles, drones), and was fully qualified in 2008.

Together, France and Italy have ordered 15 SAMP/T systems, 10 for the French air force and 5 for the Italian Army.