New air defence systems for the Italian Army

Sabaudia, 22 January 2026 – This afternoon, the first materials for the SAMP/T New Generation (NG) and GRIFO Surface-to-Air missile weapon systems were delivered to the Italian Army at the Santa Barbara barracks in Sabaudia (LT), home of the Air Defence Artillery Command (COMACA).

The SAMP/T NG, produced by the EUROSAM industrial joint venture, consisting of MBDA Italy, MBDA France, and THALES, is a medium-range system that can also be used against ballistic missiles. It is the result of decades of Italian-French cooperation, which also included the development of the previous version of the SAMP/T, already in service with the Army, of which the new system represents an evolution.

Developed under a programme launched in 2021, the SAMP/T NG delivered to the Italian Army has superior performance, thanks to the interception capability of the new Aster B1NT missile, over 150 km range, and Leonardo’s Kronos Grand Mobile High Power Radar which guarantees threat detection at a range of over 350 km, thus increasing the protection of the forces from modern air and missile threats, including ballistic targets.

The GRIFO, was developed and produced by MBDA Italy as part of a program launched in 2019, which integrates the new CAMM-ER missile. It will ensure the protection of forces in the short range air defence segment, thanks to its ability to engage and neutralize a variety of third-dimensional threats, such as fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft (including drones), cruise missiles, and anti-radar missiles.

Both systems are characterized by high tactical mobility, flexibility, and modularity of use, and represent a concrete response to the need to ensure an integrated multi-layered and omnidirectional (360°) defence based on the availability of multiple systems, complementary and fully interoperable, capable to operate within national and NATO air and missile defence networks.

The delivery ceremony, followed by a demonstration of the system, was held in the presence of Senator Isabella Rauti, of the Chief of Staff of the Army, Lieutenant General Carmine Masiello, of the CEO and General Manager of MBDA Italia, Lorenzo Mariani, and of the CEO of EUROSAM, Anne Diaz de Tuesta, and local civil authorities.

Senator Isabella Rauti emphasized: “Today, a step forward is being taken in the Italian system on the tracks of national security and future defence, moving toward a shared goal: the national ecosystem.

Defence against hybrid threats cannot be solely military; it requires institutional cooperation, technological investment, and a new relationship between the Armed Forces, universities, and industry.

In his speech, Army Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Carmine Masiello, stated: “The delivery of the SAMP-T NG and GRIFO anti-aircraft defence systems represents a significant leap forward in the security landscape, which in today’s era cannot be taken for granted but requires cooperation, training, and operational readiness.

These capabilities, the result of careful and constant work and consolidated synergies with the defence industry and Allied countries, confirm the need to manage not only effective responses to current threats, but above all the ability to identify the right questions to address future challenges.

We are proud of the nation’s efforts to ensure the Army has these fundamental capabilities for its new defence and deterrence tasks, for the protection of its forces, and for the supreme good of the security of its citizens and the future of the country.”

MBDA Italia CEO and General Manager Lorenzo Mariani emphasized: “We are truly proud to have reached this important milestone within the timeframe agreed with the Client and, in some cases, ahead of schedule.

To protect our skies, our people, and the country’s most valuable assets, the Army can now count on these new, technologically advanced systems to counter increasingly challenging threats.

The systems, delivered today to COMACA, meet the current operational needs of protecting forces, critical areas and infrastructure, and the population, in line with the Ministry of Defence’s commitment to renew and enhance surface-to-air engagement capabilities in recent years.

Following the acquisition of the SKYNEX system, with the first unit delivered to the Italian Army last December, the program to renew its air defence systems continues, and the Army takes a further step in modernizing its capabilities, adopting advanced technologies designed to increase the effectiveness and safety of soldiers on the battlefield.

Source Italian Army

Unofficial translation by EDR On-Line

Photos courtesy Italian Army