Eurosam

Prime contractor for the SAMP-T and PAAMS programmes

EUROSAM was established in June 1989 by three major European aerospace companies (Aerospatiale and Alenia which were to be eventually involved in the merger process which resulted in MBDA’s formation and Thomson-CSF known today as Thales).

EUROSAM is the industrial prime contractor and system design authority for the development, production, marketing and sales of the Aster missile-based range of medium and long range naval and ground-launched air defence systems under the aegis of the FSAF programme (Famille de missiles Sol-Air Futurs  or Future Surface-to-Air Family of missiles).

These systems were developed under contract from the French and Italian Governments, who in the late 1980s had come to similar conclusions regarding their air defence operational requirements. These called for naval and ground-launched missiles capable of defeating threats as diverse as high-speed tactical missiles (supersonic sea-skimmers, air-launched, anti-radiation, cruise, TBMs amongst others) and highly manoeuvring aircraft  in a possible saturation attack scenario. The key capability of these systems is their 360° effectiveness in simultaneously engaging multiple targets in any combination of air threat type

France and Italy agreed to develop a missile systems family with costs shared on a 50-50 basis:

  • The naval systems SAAM and SAAM AD (Surface-to-Air Anti-Missile) systems and PAAMS (Principle Anti-Air Missile System), for the protection of naval vessels using Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles guided by Arabel or Empar radars.
  • The ground-launched SAMP-T (Sol-Air Moyenne Portée – Terrestre) or Land SAAM AD, using the longer-range Aster 30 missile guided by the Arabel radar, with which both France and Italy have replaced their Hawk air-defence missiles. With SAMP-T, the French Air Force has also resurrected a long range capability which had been lost with the demise of its Nike systems.

EUROSAM
Centre d’affaires de La Boursidière Bâtiment Kerguelen
F-92357 Le Plessis-Robinson
www.eurosam.com

logo_EUROSAM