France is open to the potential sale of the Franco-Italian SAMP/T air defence system to Turkey after years of political resistance, according to five sources familiar with the matter, opening the door to more substantial defence discussions with Ankara.
Sources said the change in France’s stance followed talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni during a summit on June 25, ahead of this week’s NATO summit in Turkey. However, they noted that negotiations are still in the early stages.
The French presidency, when sent a number of questions for this article, said it did not confirm the information, pointing to “significant inaccuracies”. It did not say what the inaccuracies were and declined to explain them.
France’s foreign ministry declined to comment and referred to the French presidency, as did the defence ministry. Turkey’s foreign ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Samp/T Being Discussed Between Meloni, Macron And Erdogan
The sources said that Paris had set aside some political reservations that had previously blocked progress, although hesitations remained.
Turkey, France and Italy launched cooperation on a possible long-range air-defence programme in 2017 to 2018, including studies into co-development and co-production.
However, the project stalled as ties between Paris and Ankara deteriorated over Syria, Libya and disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean involving Greece and Cyprus.
The SAMP/T, also known as Mamba, is produced by the Franco-Italian Eurosam consortium, bringing together MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales.
The SAMP/T system can track multiple targets and intercept several threats simultaneously, including ballistic missiles. Often seen as Europe’s equivalent to the U.S. Patriot system, its effectiveness remains debated due to limited combat use.
Turkey, which has NATO’s second-largest army, is seeking the system to strengthen its planned “Steel Dome” air and missile defence network, as it currently lacks a comprehensive domestic missile defence capability.
Political Will To Advance, Turkish Official Says
A source said Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan discussed the issue during a July 3 call.
Turkey’s Defence Minister Yaşar Güler told Reuters in June that Ankara was considering both the U.S. Patriot and SAMP/T systems, with a focus on technology transfer and joint production.
A Turkish official said the process had stalled since 2020 due to Eastern Mediterranean tensions and EU sanctions but noted there is now political will from Turkey, Italy and France to move forward.
If approved, the deal would likely involve the latest generation of the SAMP/T system. Erdoğan and French President Emmanuel Macron are also expected to discuss bilateral issues on the sidelines of the NATO summit.
Years Of Political Tensions
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan raised the issue with French President Emmanuel Macron at the 2025 NATO summit in The Hague after relations between the two leaders improved.
Sources said France would still need to address concerns from Greece and Cyprus before any sale. While Italy has long supported supplying SAMP/T to Turkey, French officials have been seen as the main political obstacle.
Although momentum has grown amid regional security concerns, sources stressed that France’s openness does not guarantee a deal, with one analyst saying negotiations are only at the beginning of what could be a lengthy process.
(With inputs from Reuters)
