Italy to deploy SAMP/T air and missile defence system to Estonia in 2025

France and Italy will jointly deliver the SAMP/T (called MAMBA in the French armed forces) air defence system to Ukraine over the next two months, the French Ministry of Armed Forces said in a statement.

Estonian Defence Minister Hanno Pevkur and Italian Defence Minister Guido Crosetto confirmed the deployment of Italy’s SAMP/T air defence system to Estonia later this year. The agreement was announced through a joint statement highlighting the move as a contribution to NATO’s collective defence.

“Just like the fighter jets that protect our airspace under NATO-agreed rotations, air defence rotations are also crucial to ensuring collective defence,” said Minister Pevkur. “As part of this, we will see the SAMP/T air defence system in Estonia for the first time this autumn. At the same time, Italian fighter jets will also arrive to defend our airspace.”

Pevkur added that the deployment, similar to the Spanish NASAMS rotation, offers a valuable opportunity for the Estonian Defence Forces. “It allows our troops to practise interoperability in air defence with our allies and prepares us for the deployment of our own incoming air defence systems.”

The joint statement from the two ministers underlined that stationing air defence systems in Estonia strengthens long-standing Estonian-Italian defence cooperation within NATO. It also improves readiness, responsiveness, flexibility, integration, and interoperability between allied forces.

The ministers also noted that the deployment of SAMP/T is a practical demonstration of the Alliance’s unity, solidarity, and cohesion. It supports NATO’s continued commitment to protecting the freedom and security of its members and fulfilling the core objective of collective defence.

The NATO Defence Ministers’ meeting continues today with sessions of the North Atlantic Council, NATO-Ukraine Council, and the Nuclear Planning Group.