France and Italy have accepted Ukraine’s request to supply the Mamba (SAMP/T) air defense system, NV reported on Wednesday with reference to Challenges.
The journalists conclude that the last obstacles to delivering Mamba systems to Ukraine seem to have been overcome.
“France and Italy will provide Ukraine with the requested air defense equipment… This is a very persistent request of President Zelensky, and the Italians have confirmed that they are ready to fulfill it. In this way, we can meet their needs,” said French Ambassador to Ukraine Etienne de Poncins.
The newspaper notes that France reacted positively to the possibility of supplying these systems at once. However, the issue was negotiated with the Italian side.
“It seems this last hurdle has been cleared,” Challenges wrote.
The SAMP/T complex is designed for the anti-aircraft defense of mechanized units and anti-aircraft cover of important stationary objects against a massive attack of a wide range of air targets.
Each self-propelled launcher of the complex on an Astra/Iveco or Renault-TRM-10000 chassis is equipped with eight Aster-30 interceptor missiles in transport-launch containers, which are transferred to a vertical position before launch. The complex also includes a multifunctional Thompson-CSF ARABEL radar with phased array antennas.
