Türkiye is actively seeking France’s endorsement to acquire the SAMP/T air defense system, a crucial step Ankara believes is essential for advancing its ambitious national “Steel Dome” project. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the matter directly with French President Emmanuel Macron during the recent NATO summit in The Hague, emphasizing Türkiye’s significant contributions to the alliance and its desire to deepen participation in European defense initiatives.
The Eurosam SAMP/T is a sophisticated, truck-mounted air defense system, developed jointly by France and Italy. It utilizes Aster 30 missiles to effectively intercept a wide array of aerial threats, from tactical ballistic missiles to cruise missiles and aircraft. Türkiye views the acquisition and potential co-production of this system as pivotal for realizing its multilayered air defense shield, with an aim for operational readiness within the next two to three years. Despite robust Italian support for trilateral cooperation on the project, Turkish officials contend that French resistance remains primarily political.
Discussions surrounding the SAMP/T project have been ongoing since 2018, but progress stalled in 2019 amidst heightened political tensions between Türkiye and France over regional disputes, particularly concerning Syria. This period also followed Türkiye’s controversial 2017 acquisition of the Russian S-400 system, which led to its expulsion from the F-35 fighter jet program and U.S. sanctions. Ankara, however, consistently maintains that the S-400 will not be integrated into NATO infrastructure or its “Steel Dome” network.
The “Steel Dome” program represents Türkiye’s comprehensive national air and missile defense strategy, designed to integrate a diverse array of sensors, interceptors, and command-and-control assets. It encompasses short, medium, and long-range systems, alongside nascent directed-energy weapon capabilities. Turkish officials underscore that the initiative will prioritize systems developed either with NATO countries or domestically, reinforcing Türkiye’s commitment to reducing foreign dependency while ensuring full compatibility with alliance standards.
For Türkiye, the SAMP/T holds immense strategic importance due to its NATO compatibility, the potential for localized production, and its ability to fill a critical gap in the Steel Dome architecture. This acquisition, if approved, would not only bolster Türkiye’s defense capabilities but also strengthen alliance interoperability and contribute to its burgeoning defense export ambitions.