The two SAMP/T surface-to-air anti-aircraft batteries that Italy and France have delivered to Ukraine have practically exhausted their supply of missiles, according to Italian daily Corriere della Sera.
The missile systems will soon become unusable. For weeks now, Volodymyr Zelensky’s government has been asking the two countries to send more projectiles, the Aster-30. At least 50 of them are needed.
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The problem with resupplying, from Rome’s perspective, is that the Italian reserve has almost reached the alert level. The remaining missiles are needed to guarantee the protection of sensitive targets on national territory.
The French, on the other hand, have more, according to the report.
On Friday, March14, Ukrainian Minister of Defense Rustem Umerov met his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto, in Rome. Umerov will also meet the top management of Eurosam, the joint venture formed by MBDA Italia, MBDA Francia and Thales, the companies that produce the Aster-30.
In recent days, the Wall Street Journal had written that the performance of these weapons had been disappointing: far below the standards guaranteed by the American Patriot batteries. In particular, the SAMP/T, composed of six launch ramps, had serious problems identifying the missiles launched by the Russians, especially in the case of multiple attacks.
Forbes magazine on March 11 reported that one of the SAMP/Ts also managed to shoot down a Russian jet.
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The debate among military experts remains open, but the Ukrainians are now keen to restore their ammunition reserves as soon as possible. At this stage, with the Russians having intensified their bombing, any anti-aircraft defense system becomes precious.
The Italian government, led by Giorgia Meloni, had decided to send two SAMP/Ts, keeping three in Italy. The defense plan, presented last November by Crosetto, includes an order for another 10 batteries.
According to estimates, a single SAMP/T battery costs around $500 million and can hit aircraft and missiles from 145 kilometers (90 miles) away.
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