Because Italy hasn’t sent Samp-T to Ukraine yet
The dossier on the supply of the Samp-T anti-aircraft system to Kiev remained at a standstill (despite American pressure), pending the executive's decision on the sixth decree of military aid to Ukraine. All the details
The military aid package from Italy (including the Samp-T missile system) destined for Kiev is at a standstill.
Only two weeks the Meloni government had guaranteed the Ukrainian president Zelensky to evaluate the possibility of transferring the air defense system to Ukraine. Just last month Italy's defense minister, Guido Crosetto, confirmed to Reuters that the Franco-Italian Samp-T air defense system was among the military aid Kiev had requested from Rome. But the executive has not yet approved this decision in the sixth decree on military aid to Ukraine.
“It probably won't arrive until February. The moment of truth, now leaks from executive sources, is set for the end of January, when the government will decide which and how many vehicles to send to the Ukrainians. At stake is not only the possible delivery of Samp-Ts, but also the Aspide missiles”, reveals Repubblica today.
Meanwhile, according to the newspaper directed by Maurizio Molinari, the United States has also urged Italy to provide Ukraine with the next aid package as soon as possible, in particular the Samp-T anti-aircraft missile systems. The current version of this system has state-of-the-art capabilities in countering airborne threats and short-range tactical ballistic missiles. But Italy has five working Samp-T air defense batteries and one training battery in service. Sending even one to Ukraine means depriving yourself of it for national defense. Without forgetting the cost issue: almost 700 million euros per battery.
All the details.
ITALY AT WORK ON NEW WEAPONS PACKAGE FOR UKRAINE
Italy is preparing a new military assistance package for Ukraine and is in discussions with Paris regarding jointly produced air defense systems, Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani said in an interview with Corriere della Sera published yesterday: “We are also discussing with the French to perfect the technical point of view of sending air defense systems based on joint technologies between Rome and Paris. But the head of the Farnesina assured that "the sixth defense package is still to be perfected" and "there will be no forwarding of information to Parliament beforehand".
US PRESSURE?
As also confirmed by the website of the American embassy in Rome , yesterday Jake Sullivan, the national security adviser to the president of the United States, discussed the issue of supplying Ukraine with a new aid package from Italy with Francesco Talò, diplomatic adviser to Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.
The two officials condemned Russia's ongoing aggression against Ukraine, including attacks on Ukraine's critical infrastructure, the US embassy said. They reaffirmed their commitment to provide assistance to Ukraine, including support for Ukraine's energy resilience and military equipment needed to defend Ukraine's sovereignty and democracy.
According to La Repubblica , Sullivan has asked Talò to speed up the transfer of air defense systems, in particular the Italian-French Samp-T anti-aircraft missile complex.
However, Tajani al Corriere also rejected the rumors of American pressure to send weapons more quickly to Kiev and made it clear that in any case the topic will see a passage in parliament. "Talks with Washington are constant and normal, we are an important interlocutor, but there has been no talk of weapons" underlined the foreign minister.
WHAT IS THE SAMP/T MISSILE DEFENSE SYSTEM
Samp/t is the European air defense and anti-missile system, developed by Italy jointly with France since the 2000s.
It is a latest generation surface-to-air missile system developed by the Eurosam European consortium (made up of the companies MBDA Italia, MBDA France and Thales) for Italy and France. The purpose is to replace the Hawk missile system. The weapon system is characterized by high tactical and strategic mobility (it can be easily redeployed by air, sea and rail).
The Samp/T system is able to neutralize Tbm, Tactical Ballistic Missile threats. In fact, it mounts Aster 30 missiles that can intercept aircraft within a radius of 100 km and missiles within 25 km.
THE EQUIPMENT OF THE ITALIAN ARMY
But the Italian Army has 5 batteries at the 4th anti-aircraft artillery regiment in Mantua.
Since the system entered service in 2013, the Armed Forces have deployed the Samp/T in multiple operational and training activities. As stated on the army website : “between 2015 and 2016 a Samp/T unit was deployed in Rome for surveillance of the capital's skies on the occasion of the Extraordinary Jubilee of Mercy; at the same time a second battery operated in Turkey as part of the NATO "Active Fence" operation from June 2016 to December 2019 against tactical ballistic missiles from Syrian territory. Furthermore, the Samp/t is included in the NATO Active Layered Theater Ballistic Missile Defense (ALTBMD) programme. The latter was born with the aim of achieving the defense of areas or vital objectives of interest of the Alliance from the missile threat”.
According to La Repubblica , “One is active in Kuwait, sent to defend the area at the time of the escalation between Iran and Saudi Arabia and today useful in defending the base from which military flights over Iraq depart. Another was promised by the previous government to the United States: it would be deployed in Slovakia and would serve to replace an American battery of Patriots positioned in the Eastern European country, which would in turn be diverted to Ukraine. The "relay" should materialize in January, and Samp-T would still remain Italian property. The decision was politically confirmed by the current executive. In this way, however, already two specimens are engaged. Another couple are cyclically undergoing maintenance”.
THE COST NODE
Finally, there would be the question of costs to be resolved for Rome. A complete Samp-T costs around 750 million euros. However, what the government should provide to the Ukrainians is worth around 250 million, underlines Repubblica . It would in fact lack some components, and missiles, the latter insured by the French.
This is a machine translation from Italian language of a post published on Start Magazine at the URL https://www.startmag.it/innovazione/italia-samp-t-ucraina/ on Mon, 09 Jan 2023 11:27:36 +0000.