France is open to a possible sale of the Franco Italian SAMP/T air defense system to Turkey after years of political opposition, a shift that could allow talks with Ankara to move forward, Reuters reported, citing five sources familiar with the matter.
The possible sale concerns one of Europe’s main air and missile defense systems and comes as Turkey seeks to strengthen its planned Steel Dome network, an integrated system meant to protect the country against missiles, drones and other aerial threats.
Four sources told Reuters the change followed talks between French President Emmanuel Macron and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni at a June 25 summit ahead of this week’s NATO gathering in Turkey.
“Before, there was a clear lack of openness, now there is openness,” one source familiar with the talks told Reuters.
The French presidency did not confirm the information, telling Reuters there were “significant inaccuracies” in the account but did not identify the inaccuracies or provide further details. The French foreign and defense ministries declined to comment and referred questions to the presidency. Turkey’s Foreign Ministry did not respond to requests for comment.
Talks after years of tension
Turkey, France and Italy launched cooperation in 2017 and 2018 on a possible long-range air defense program, including studies on joint development and production.
The effort stalled as ties between Paris and Ankara worsened over Syria, Libya and disputes in the eastern Mediterranean involving Greece and Cyprus.
For years Turkish officials viewed France as the main political obstacle to the project, while Italy supported sharing the system with Turkey to deepen defense industry cooperation, Reuters reported.
A Turkish official told Reuters the process had been unable to move forward since 2020 because of tensions in the eastern Mediterranean and European Union sanctions.
“Now, it appears there is political will on all three sides [Turkey, Italy, France] for this process to advance,” the official told Reuters.
System seen as key for Turkey’s defense plans
The SAMP/T, also known as Mamba, is produced by the Eurosam consortium, which includes MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales.
The system can track dozens of targets at the same time and intercept several threats at once. It is described as Europe’s closest counterpart to the US Patriot system and is the only European made system that claims the ability to intercept ballistic missiles.
Turkey has NATO’s second largest army but lacks a full missile defense shield and relies in part on NATO systems and fighter jets. Ankara wants SAMP/T as part of Steel Dome, its planned national air and missile defense network.
Turkish Defense Minister Yaşar Güler told Reuters in June that Ankara was evaluating options including the US Patriot and SAMP/T and remained open to cooperation involving technology transfer and joint production.
Any deal would likely focus on the new generation of the SAMP/T system, which is being introduced into the French and Italian militaries.
Greece and Cyprus remain a concern
Two sources told Reuters that France may need to reassure Greece and Cyprus before any possible transaction with Turkey. France has signed strategic defense agreements with both countries.
The issue is sensitive because Turkey has long-running disputes with Greece and Cyprus over maritime zones, energy exploration and military activity in the eastern Mediterranean.
The system has been exported only to Singapore outside France and Italy, although it has been transferred to Ukraine in recent years. France also deployed the system this year to help the United Arab Emirates defend itself against Iranian missile attacks.
Italy sent the system to Turkey in mid-June as part of NATO defense planning.
Macron and President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan are expected to meet on the sidelines of the NATO summit to discuss bilateral issues, officials told Reuters.
One source also said Meloni and Erdoğan discussed the SAMP/T issue during a July 3 call.
Murat Aslan, a defense and security researcher at Turkey’s SETA foundation, warned that France’s openness should not be seen as approval for a sale.
“This is just the beginning. It will be a long journey if France agrees to sell it,” Aslan told Reuters.