Russia is constantly bombing the Ukrainian city of Kharkiv. The “Mamba” could help the Ukrainians against Vladimir Putin’s attacks.
Kiev – Air attacks are a major military factor in the Ukraine war. For example, the Ukrainian armed forces now claim to have hit a Russian command center in the occupied Donbas city of Luhansk with one or more cruise missiles.
Air strikes by Vladimir Putin's Russia: Ukraine hopes for more air defense
Conversely, Russia has been constantly attacking Ukraine's major cities for weeks with sometimes heavy air strikes, especially in the case of Kharkiv, the second largest city in the battered country with 1.5 million inhabitants. President Volodymyr Zelensky and Foreign Minister Dmytro Kuleba have recently called for more air defense systems so that Ukrainians can better defend themselves against the insidious attacks.
According to
Euronews,
Kuleba is now hoping, among other things, for the early delivery of SAMP-T air defense systems, also known as “Mamba” in the French Air Force. Both the French and Italian air forces have been using the anti-aircraft missile system since 2011. However, the report does not say who will supply Kiev with the “Mamba” system against aggression from Moscow.
Air defense for Ukraine: Kiev would like more SAMP-T systems and Patriots
According to the French arms company Thales, the French have seven SAMP-T air defense systems in their army, the Italians have three. A battery consists of the “Arabel” multifunctional fire control radar, a mobile control station and four to six launch vehicles, each with eight Aster 30 anti-aircraft missiles. The French use the military variant of the Renault Kerax truck as a weapon platform, while the Italians rely on Iveco trucks.
This makes the Sol-Air Moyenne Portée/Terrestre, its full technical name, similar to the Patriot air defense system used by the Americans and the German Bundeswehr. Germany has a total of twelve Patriot batteries, a third of which will soon go to Ukraine. To understand: The Patriots have eight launchers per battery, which are mounted on trucks or truck trailers and together, plus the radar, form an anti-aircraft system. Germany had so far provided two of its twelve systems to the Ukrainian armed forces, one of which was apparently recently destroyed in Donbass by a targeted Russian attack.
New arms delivery to Ukraine? “Mamba” has greater range than Patriot
The Ukrainians' needs are correspondingly urgent, while Kremlin autocrat Vladimir Putin uninhibitedly bombs Ukrainian cities into rubble and ash. Because: In addition to the traffic light federal government, only the USA has provided two systems and the Dutch have provided two launch pads; a single system has a range of 160 kilometers. The calls for supplies are getting louder. The “Mamba” 3D multifunctional radar developed by Thomson-CSF should be able to track 100 targets at the same time.
According to manufacturer Thales, the SAMP-T “is effective against all current and future aerial threats, including cruise missiles, manned and unmanned aircraft, and tactical ballistic missiles.” With a remarkable range of up to 600 kilometers. When the French army stationed "Mambas" on NATO's eastern flank in Romania, Jean Baptiste, the head of the air defense command there, told
Euronews
: "With this system we can neutralize all types of aircraft, cruise missiles, fighter jets and helicopters. That’s the system’s job: detect, monitor and attack if necessary.”
SAMP/T anti-aircraft missile system 'Mamba' |
|
Weapon type: |
Anti-aircraft guided missile |
Countries of origin: |
France, Italy |
Commissioning: |
2011 |
Rockets: |
Aster 30 |
Speed of the missiles: |
Mach 3 (3704.4 km/h) |
Target location: |
active radar target search |
Weapon platform: |
Renault Kerax trucks (France), Astra/iveco (Italy) |
Air strikes on Ukraine: Putin's Russia is particularly targeting Kharkiv
The French-Italian “Aster” surface-to-air missiles, which are launched vertically, serve as missiles. And strike at lightning speed. The Aster 15 heads to its destination at three times the speed of sound, i.e. around 3,700 km/h. The Aster 30 even reaches 4.5 times the speed of sound, which corresponds to around 5550 km/h. The missile's warhead weighs 15 kilograms and has a delay proximity fuse with an explosion radius of two meters at the target.
While there is a debate about recruiting more women for the front, partly because of the high losses in the Ukrainian army, there are increasing reports that the Russian invasion troops are preparing a major offensive on Kharkiv in northeastern Ukraine. With more air defense systems, the iconic city could certainly be better defended. Time is of the essence while Kiev's Western partners are literally fighting for further arms deliveries to the country that has been invaded in violation of international law.
(pm)