SAMP/T missile system faces production hurdles despite success
The SAMP/T anti-aircraft system ranks among the most advanced in the world. It has already demonstrated its effectiveness in Ukraine; however, the production cycle of the Aster family missiles used in this system is incredibly complicated. Ukrainians and others have observed the unnecessary complexity and lengthy production time.
SAMP/T is one of the most advanced anti-aircraft systems globally. It was developed based on the sea-air anti-aircraft system designed for French and Italian warships, utilizing Aster family missiles. SAMP/T is the land-based version.
This system is set to create Italy's missile defense shield. Singapore purchased it, and it has shown its effectiveness in combat situations after being delivered to Ukraine—the probability of destroying a target with a single missile is as high as 0.9 for SAMP/T.
Although both the SAMP/T and the Aster family missiles are technically at the forefront globally, the production process of Aster missiles presents a significant issue, limiting the potential for mass production.
As a result, there is a shortage of missiles for one of the key, highly effective anti-aircraft and anti-missile systems. The Ukrainian service Defence Express highlights this issue.
How long does it take to build an Aster missile?
Producing one Aster missile takes up to 40 months, although, due to serial production, many more missiles are made during that time.
The lengthy production time is due to the Aster missile comprising about 10,000 parts, which must traverse a long journey during assembly. Different stages of production are conducted in facilities in Italy and France, and the missile, before becoming operational, is transported multiple times across the Alps.
The manufacturer, Eurosam, acknowledges this issue and has been working to shorten the production time of a single missile.
The problem with production dispersion
This task is challenging because of dispersed ownership—Eurosam is held by the Thales and MBDA groups, where Airbus, BAE Systems, and Leonardo have stakes. Consequently, shareholders exert pressure to maintain the current division of labour to ensure profits and employment in individual facilities.
Consolidating production and enhancing its efficiency are difficult under these conditions.
Despite these challenges, Eurosam can claim limited success, though less than anticipated. According to Defence Express, by investing in new production equipment, increasing employment, and working weekends, the assembly time for an Aster missile has been reduced from over three years to about two years.
