Within the framework of the FSAF development programme whose goal is to provide the SAMP/T system with an anti-tactical ballistic missile defence capability, EUROSAM carried out a system firing at the Direction Générale de l’Armement (DGA EM) test range located in Biscarrosse (south west France) on 18th October 2010.
The target used for the firing was representative of a medium-range ballistic missile. All the successive phases of the operational engagement of a ballistic missile ran nominally: target designation transmission to the SAMP/T firing control system, target acquisition by the ARABEL radar, engagement sequence and firing decision, ASTER missile flight sequence and guidance through to target interception. The target was intercepted at the intended range.
For this firing, the SAMP/T system comprised the Engagement Module, the ARABEL Radar and Identification Module with its Electrical Generation Unit, a Vertical Launch Unit and the ASTER 30 Block1 Missile.
This successful firing is not only a demonstration of the dual capability of SAMP/T to intercept both conventional and ballistic threats but also of its ability to provide one of the key elements of the future European defence architecture discussed at the recent NATO conference in Lisbon.
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