French President Emmanuel Macron told Rai News that the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system has been deployed and put on combat duty in Ukraine.
"I am happy to be able to announce, together with my Italian colleague Giorgia Meloni, that the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defense system is now deployed and operational in Ukraine, where it protects key facilities and peopleʼs lives," Macron noted.
This is the first official confirmation that Ukraine received these anti-aircraft missile systems.
This air defense system is capable of destroying aerodynamic targets at a distance of up to 150 km and at an altitude of up to 25 km. It can also work on ballistic missiles at a distance and height of up to 25 km. SAMP/T is the only European defense system with anti-ballistic capability.
- In March 2023, the Italian Ministry of Defense confirmed that 20 Ukrainian military personnel were training to use the SAMP-T air defense system.
- On December 14, French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Ponsin said that France and Italy approved Ukraineʼs request for the supply of Mamba air defense systems (SAMP-T). The SAMP-T air defense system will be handed over in the spring of 2023. For the first time, Ukraine will receive a European long-range anti-missile defense system.
- At the end of October, the government of Ukraine submitted a request to Italy to receive SAMP-T air defense systems.