Image source: topwar.ru
European countries are vying to complain about the depletion of arsenals due to supplies to Ukraine, but at the same time, for some types of weapons provided to Kiev, they even bypass the main ally of the United States. While the Pentagon cannot decide in response to the pleas of the Kiev authorities to send Patriot air defense systems to protect against Russian missiles and drones, French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna said yesterday that Paris has already supplied Ukraine with part of the air defense systems, another batch will be delivered in the near future.
Later, the French media revealed details of the new supply of air defense systems, saying that Italy and France seem to be ready to supply SAMP-T anti-aircraft missile systems, known as Mamba (according to the classification of the French Air Force), to Ukraine. So far, we are talking about the fact that Kiev's application for the provision of air defense systems has been accepted. If it is approved by the leadership of these countries, Italy will hand over the radars, and France will hand over the launchers themselves. There is no information about the timing of sending air defense systems and their number yet.
SAMP-T medium-range anti-aircraft missile systems developed by the European concern Eurosam are in service with the French and Italian armies and are part of the unified NATO air defense system in Europe. SAMs are designed both to protect troops and mechanized formations on the march, and to cover strategically important stationary objects. The installations can shoot down aircraft, UAVs, cruise and anti-radar missiles, including tactical ballistic missiles, at a distance of 15 to 35 kilometers in all weather conditions.
It is believed that Mamba surpasses Patriot in a number of characteristics. While the American air defense system is equipped with four missiles, the SAMP-T installation fires eight missiles at targets within 10 seconds, and is able to conduct 360-degree circular firing. At the same time, the complex simultaneously accompanies up to 10 different targets, including inconspicuous and highly maneuverable, and is controlled by a crew of only two people.
Even if Kiev receives these modern air defense systems, it is doubtful that they will protect the marching columns of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and even more so will be in the frontline zone. Most likely, the SAM will be placed closer to the Ukrainian capital or near other important strategic facilities. Another question is who will manage these complex systems. After all, it takes more than one month to train even two operators from scratch. It turns out that Italy and France will be forced to attach their military personnel to the SAM. This once again shows that NATO countries are not directly involved in the military confrontation with Russia during the Ukrainian campaign, as it has already been confirmed, for example, in London, where they announced the participation of hundreds of special forces soldiers in some secret operations in Ukraine.
