About eurosam
		Eurosam's Approach to Air Defence Corporate Structure Shareholders & Partners Program Milestones
		EUROSAM was established in June 1989 by three major European aerospace companies (Aerospatiale, Alenia and Thomson-CSF) known today as MBDA Missile Systems and THALES. EUROSAM is the industrial prime contractor and system design authority for the development, production, marketing and sales of a range of medium-range naval and ground-launched air-defence missiles also known as Famille de missiles Sol-Air Futurs (FSAF), or Future Surface-to-Air Family of missile systems. These systems were developed under contract from the French and Italian Governments, who in the late 1980s had come to similar conclusions as to the operational requirements for their air-defence needs. These requirements called for naval and ground-launched missiles capable of defeating threats as diverse as high-speed tactical missiles (supersonic sea skimmers, air-launched, anti-radiation, cruise, TBM and other types) and highly-manoeuvering aircraft, in a saturation attack scenario. The key capability of these systems is their capability of simultaneously engaging multiple targets over 360 degrees. France and Italy agreed to develop a missile systems family, whose costs they shared on a 50-50 basis : - The naval SAAM (Surface-to-Air Anti-Missile systems (SAAM and SAAM AD), for anti-air protection of naval ships, using the Aster 15 and Aster 30 missiles guided by the Arabel or Empar radars. - The ground-launched Sol-Air Moyenne Portee (SAMP-T, or Land SAAM AD ground-launched surface-to-air medium range), using the longer-range Aster 30 missile guided by the Arabel radar, with which both France and Italy will replace their Hawk air-defence missiles.