France has ordered four additional SAMP/T NG air and missile-defense firing units, taking the country’s planned fleet to 12 systems, according to European Defence Review. OCCAR placed the contract with Eurosam on France’s behalf for the French Air and Space Force.
The systems will use a multilayer configuration combining the Aster family with MICA VL interceptors. Eurosam’s consortium includes MBDA and Thales. The SAMP/T NG is being developed jointly by France and Italy and is intended to provide ground-based, long-range air and missile defense.
The additional order changes the planned delivery trajectory. Defense War Room reported that 10 of the 12 French sections are now due by the end of 2030, compared with an earlier plan for eight by that date. The final two sections remain part of the 12-system target, but their delivery schedule was not disclosed in the fetched reporting. The contract value was also not disclosed.
The first SAMP/T NG system reached France’s Military Air Expertise Center in April 2026 for technical and operational evaluation, Defense War Room reported. That evaluation is separate from entry into operational service; the available reports do not establish when the newly ordered units will become operational.
The SAMP/T NG is designed to employ Aster 30 B1 and Aster B1NT missiles and coordinate shorter-range defenses. Eurosam says the system can integrate into national and NATO air-defense networks and provide 360-degree coverage, but those stated capabilities do not constitute evidence that the newly ordered units have completed acceptance testing or entered service.