A decision was made to transfer to Ukraine from Italy a battery of the SAMP / T anti-aircraft missile system, reports the Italian edition of RID. Green light given by Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

Two weeks ago, the problem was “on the high seas” due to the reluctance of the military, who have only 5 SAMP / T batteries in service, with one battery now deployed in Kuwait.

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However, strong pressure from Washington - there is also talk of a Biden phone call to Meloni - drastically changed the picture, and Italy said yes..

The scheme by which the battery must be transferred is very complex and the details are currently classified.. It is known that the battery will consist of "

SAMP/T is an effective system primarily against cruise and anti-radar missiles, large drones, and also has limited anti-missile capabilities (against short-range missiles).

Clearly, with regard to drones, the assessment is about the cost-effectiveness of using an obviously expensive, albeit good, interceptor, compared to a goal costing several thousand dollars..

Another problem arises, namely, how many “refuelings” will be delivered to the Ukrainians, including in the light of the massive shelling of infrastructure facilities carried out by the Russians and the reduced availability of missiles for SAMP / T, especially from the Italian side.

Therefore, more than ever, the Italian and European military-industrial complex needs to increase stocks and equipment and structure purchases accordingly..

For Italy, the delivery of SAMP / T to Ukraine is, to some extent, good news, especially in terms of exports: now we can safely say that the system has been tested in combat conditions.

SAMP/T is a medium-range ground-to-air ground-to-air system designed to protect the area from conventional air threats such as aircraft or cruise missiles: it is also the only European defense system with anti-ballistic capability.

SAMP / T can destroy enemy aircraft at a distance of 3 km to 100 km and ballistic missiles at a distance of 3 km to 25 km, the height of destruction is up to 25 km. All 8 Aster-30 missiles contained on one launcher can be fired in one salvo in 10 seconds.