Ukraine's missile supplies for SAMP-T air defense system almost depleted - Media

According to media reports, Ukraine has been requesting Italy and France for at least 50 Aster-30 missiles for several weeks. However, the issue lies in the fact that Italy's reserve is almost at a critical level. The remaining missiles are used to protect important facilities within the country. On the other hand, France has more missiles but also faces limitations.

On Friday, March 14, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov visited Rome, where he met with his Italian counterpart, Guido Crosetto. During the visit, he also held talks with the leadership of Eurosam, a joint venture of MBDA Italy, MBDA France, and Thales, which manufactures Aster-30 missiles.

At the same time, Corriere della Sera referenced recent information from The Wall Street Journal, which reported that the capabilities of this weapon were disappointing: they were much lower than the standards of the American Patriot systems. In particular, Samp-T systems, consisting of six launchers, could face serious problems in identifying missiles launched by Russia, especially during mass attacks. However, Forbes reported on March 11 that one of the Samp-T launchers managed to shoot down a Russian fighter jet.

"The debate among military experts continues, but Ukrainians are now eager to replenish their ammunition reserves as quickly as possible. At this stage, when Russian bombardments have intensified, any air defense system becomes valuable," added Corriere della Sera.

Earlier, RBC-Ukraine reported that the Samp-T missile defense system considered an equivalent to the American Patriot, may have issues with intercepting ballistic missiles. The problem lies in the software and the types of missiles used by the system.