Germany to Study French SAMP/T Offer but Notes Difficulty of Running Two Air-Defense Systems

German government leaders will study an offer by French President Emmanuel Macron to cooperate on the French-Italian SAMP/T air defense system, Defense News reported. German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius confirmed the position on Tuesday in remarks to reporters at a KNDS production plant in Kassel.

" He noted that long-term technology development cooperation could span "10 years or more" and urged officials to examine all relevant details.

-made Patriot. Macron had proposed the cooperation at a July 17 bilateral ministerial summit and restated the French position at a press conference with German Chancellor Friedrich Merz on Friday. The comments mark the first official German reaction to the overture.

An acute shortage of Patriot interceptors, partly linked to the U.S. and Israeli war against Iran, has prompted European customers to seek alternative production capacity. The U.S. government has signaled it will meet American force requirements first.

Pan-European missile maker MBDA plans to double production this year of the Aster interceptor used in the SAMP/T. Italy took delivery of its first SAMP/T NG in January and France received its first upgraded system in February. Ukraine said on July 14 it plans to order four SAMP/T NG systems, with France committing to deliveries starting in 2027 and two interim systems to be returned later.