On the 1st of December, 2021, the OCCAR Director (Matteo BISCEGLIA), representing DGA and SGD, along with the Managing Director of EUROSAM (Eva BRUXMEIER), executed Amendment No. 9 to the Sustainment & Enhancement (S&E) agreement, which pertains to the fabrication of the French (GF-300 by Thales) and Italian (Kronos GM HP by Leonardo) radar systems for the SAMP/T New Generation missile system. Moreover, Amendment No. 9 will also encompass the manufacturing of advanced Aster telemetry apparatus (CTME NT), devised within the same S&E framework, to cater to the training requisites of the respective Armed Forces (Armée de l’Air, Esercito Italiano, Marine Nationale and Marina Militare).
In this scenario, France and Italy had already enhanced their collaboration in the Air Defense sector by initiating the development of the SAMP/T NG, as announced with Amendment No. 7 on March 19, 2021, designed to fulfill the collective needs of the French A.d.A. and the Italian E.I. The endorsement of this additional Amendment represents the third essential “pillar” (alongside Amendment No. 8, which pertains to the Mid Life Update retrofit of Aster missiles, announced on June 9, 2021) in a complex and comprehensive S&E contractual structure, finalized by the FSAF-PAAMS P.D. and the GIE EUROSAM within a year. Consequently, the S&E contract currently holds a total valuation exceeding 2.5 billion euros.
All involved parties, at the Government, OCCAR (Central Office and FSAF-PAAMS P.D.), and Industry levels, have made significant contributions with utmost professionalism and a collaborative spirit towards achieving these critical and strategic aims, benefiting the Nations and fostering the advancement of the European Defence sector.
