Turkey signed a letter of intent with France and Italy on November 8, 2017, to strengthen cooperation on joint defence projects including air and missile defense systems, Turkish Defense Ministry sources said. The Franco-Italian EUROSAM consortium and Turkish companies could collaborate to acquire the SAMP-T surface-to-air defense missile system produced by EUROSAM.

French battery of SAMP-T surface-to air defense missile system.

The Turkish Defense Ministry sources said Turkey, France and Italy would strengthen cooperation on joint production of military electronic systems, software and simulation systems and warfare equipment, as well as air and missile defense systems.

The letter of intent was signed in Brussels, where Turkey’s Defense Minister Nurettin Canikli was attending a meeting of NATO defense ministers.

Russia has announced in November 2017 a contract with Russia for the delivery of the S-400 Triumf air defense missile systems (ADS) amounts to more than $2 billion. NATO advised Turkey to buy weapons that could work together with NATO air defense systems, the Russian-made S-400 cannot be integrated into NATO's air defense network.

After Turkey decided in 2006 to procure a long-range air and anti-missile defense system known as T-Loramids, four countries have proposed their systems including United Sttaes with Raytheon-Lockheed Martin PAC-3 Patriot, Russia with the S-400, French/Italian with the SAMP/T and China with HQ-9 / FD-2000.

In September 2013, Turkey has announced that the contract was awarded by China with the FD-2000, the export version of the HQ-9 but the deal was cancelled after the pressure of NATO.

The SAMP/T also called MAMBA in the French army is a theatre anti-missile system designed to protect the battlefield and sensitive tactical sites (such as airports and sea ports) against all current and future aerial threats, including cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aircraft and tactical ballistic missiles in the 600 km range class.

The SAMP/T uses Aster 30 block 1 missiles which are equipped with a modified seeker, fuse, signal processing and a directional blast warhead where larger warhead fragments are directed towards the target.

The maximum speed of Aster 30 missile is 1.4km/sec. Aster 30 has the capability to intercept targets at altitudes from 50 m to 20 km. against aircraft targets flying at altitudes above 3 km, the maximum range of the Aster 30 is 100 km. At aircraft targets with altitudes below 3 km, the range of Aster 30 is 50 km.