Reference News website, July 20 report: According to the U.S. "Wall Street Journal" website on July 16, the U.S. "Patriot" air defense system is highly praised by armies around the world for its ability to shoot down deadly drones and missiles. Now, a new version of a European weapon is about to challenge its dominance and test whether Europe can free itself from reliance on U.S. weapons.

The European SAMP-T ground-to-air missile system has long lived in the shadow of the "Patriot" - which has secured numerous orders and proven itself on the battlefield. The French-Italian joint manufacturer of the SAMP-T said that its next-generation model will be more capable of competing for orders.

The launch of this missile comes at a time when Europe is committed to enhancing its defense capabilities and debating whether it should rely so much on U.S. weapons. Since President Trump regained power, U.S. support for Ukraine has often lacked certainty, and Trump has demanded that Europe take responsibility for its own security.

The top priority is air defense capability. This capability has been proven essential in operations where Israel and Ukraine have defended against attacks from Iran and Russia respectively.

The new version of the SAMP-T missile system will challenge the "Patriot" air defense system. According to a Ukrainian official, as Russia begins to use more mobile ballistic missiles, this U.S. system seems increasingly inadequate in Ukraine.

European governments are assessing their own air defense capabilities. Denmark, angered by Trump's greed to annex Greenland, has announced plans to decide which missile system to purchase later this year. Military industry executives expect Belgium, Portugal, and the UK to also upgrade their air defense systems soon.

This issue involves billions of dollars in arms trade - and European dignity.

At the recent Paris Air Show, Eric Tabarki, a military advisor for Eurosam, a European air defense missile company, pointed to the new radar of the SAMP-T, which rotates once per second and detects up to over 350 kilometers. Eurosam is a joint venture between the European Missile Group and France's Thales. Tabarki said, "The 'Patriot' missile does not have such a radar."

The previous version of the SAMP-T has only been sold to the two manufacturers, France and Italy, and an improved version was also made for Singapore. Since its deployment in 2011, the missile has received a total of 18 complete orders.

In contrast, the U.S.-made "Patriot" system has received over 240 orders from 19 countries and regions.

The dominance of the "Patriot" was reinforced in Ukraine. There, it has been popular because of its successful interception of Russian ballistic and hypersonic missiles. However, the Ukrainian official said that in recent months, more mobile Russian ballistic missiles have been able to evade its radar.

Meanwhile, the Ukrainian army claims that the SAMP-T has always had difficulty destroying ballistic missiles. An Italian defense official said they have received "positive feedback" from Kyiv on the missile system.

According to the manufacturer, the next generation of the SAMP-T will have several performance advantages over the "Patriot," including a new radar that can monitor the entire sky 360 degrees, and launchers that can rise vertically rather than tilt, allowing missiles to be fired in all directions.

The European Missile Group has also designed a new missile for the SAMP-T - the new "Aster" B1NT missile extends the range from the original approximately 100 kilometers to 145 kilometers.

Both missile systems contain three main components - radar, control unit, and launcher. The entire SAMP-T system can be installed by just 15 people, while the U.S. Army currently deploys about 90 soldiers for each "Patriot" missile battery, and it is unclear what the minimum personnel configuration is.

The main contractor for the "Patriot" missile, Raytheon Technologies, said that the "Patriot" has been proven many times in real combat, and a new radar called "Low-Level Air Defense and Ballistic Missile Defense Sensor" will give the system a 360-degree surveillance range. According to a U.S. military spokesperson, the new radar is under testing and will be deployed to combat units in the 2029 fiscal year.

The key to winning future orders is the ability to supply missiles. The aforementioned Ukrainian official said that Ukraine's two SAMP-T systems have already run out of missiles. (Translated by Cao Weiguo)

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7529006528666386984/

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