The Organisation for Joint Armament Cooperation (OCCAR), acting on behalf of France, has recenty awarded Eurosam a contract for the development of the ASTER/VL MICA multi-layered version of SAMP/T NG.

France has ordered the development of a new multi-layered configuration of the SAMP/T NG air and missile defence system, combining ASTER medium- and long-range interceptors with VL MICA short-range missiles and providing a pathway for the future integration of MISTRAL 3 and counter-UAS capabilities.

The contract, prepared in cooperation with the French Directorate General of Armaments (DGA), will involve Eurosam together with its parent companies MBDA and Thales.

The programme will provide the French configuration of SAMP/T NG with a short-range surface-to-air capability based on the VL MICA missile family, complementing the system’s existing medium- and long-range air and ballistic missile defence capabilities provided by ASTER interceptors.

Under the new configuration, ASTER B1, ASTER B1NT, MICA VL and MICA NG VL missiles will be integrated within a common multi-layered air-defence architecture. Both infrared (IR) and electromagnetic (EM) variants of the MICA family are envisaged.

The integration will require an upgrade of the SAMP/T NG’s Next Generation Engagement Module (ME-NG), enabling coordinated engagements and optimized employment of launchers carrying different types of interceptors. This approach is intended to allow operators to select the most appropriate effector according to the type, range and complexity of the incoming threat.

The SAMP/T NG units planned under France’s 2024–2030 Military Programming Law will be delivered to the French Air and Space Force in this multi-layer ASTER/VL MICA configuration.

The architecture is also being designed for further expansion. Future developments could incorporate MISTRAL 3 very-short-range missiles and dedicated counter-UAS systems, creating an increasingly comprehensive layered defence against threats ranging from drones and aircraft to cruise and ballistic missiles.

SAMP/T NG represents the next generation of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T ground-based air defence system currently operated by France and Italy.

Designed for 360-degree protection, the system is intended to counter aircraft, helicopters, UAVs, cruise missiles, anti-radiation weapons and ballistic missile threats. According to Eurosam, its extended engagement capability allows it to engage threats at distances exceeding 150 km.

A SAMP/T NG section can include up to six launcher modules, each carrying eight ASTER missiles, providing as many as 48 ready-to-fire interceptors. Its multifunction radar can detect and identify targets at ranges beyond 350 km, while the complete system remains mobile and can become operational in less than 30 minutes.

A key element of the system’s future capability is the ASTER B1NT (Block 1 New Technology) interceptor.

Designed to address increasingly sophisticated air and missile threats, ASTER B1NT incorporates a new Ka-band seeker, advanced interception algorithms and latest-generation electronics. The missile significantly expands the engagement envelope against tactical ballistic missiles and advanced manoeuvring threats.

According to Eurosam, ASTER B1NT is designed to counter threats including short- and medium-range ballistic missiles (SRBM/MRBM), manoeuvring missiles and hypersonic threats.

By combining ASTER B1/B1NT with VL MICA and eventually very-short-range and counter-drone effectors, France is moving SAMP/T NG toward a genuinely layered architecture capable of assigning different interceptors to different threat categories.

The development will strengthen France’s sovereign air and missile defence capability while providing a scalable European system designed to evolve in response to increasingly numerous and diverse aerial and missile threats.