When Switzerland signed a Patriot contract in 2022, the timeline looked routine: first deliveries from 2026, gradual integration. However, in February 2026, the Federal Council received different news — a four to five-year delay. The reason: Washington's decision to redirect production capacity to Ukraine and allies on the frontline.
This is not an exception. According to GLOBSEC, Bern even suspended upcoming payments to exert financial pressure — and discovered that the American FMS (Foreign Military Sales) mechanism allows Washington to demand payments regardless of whether the buyer receives the goods. Money paid, no missiles.
"Production capacity directly depends on the throughput of American supply chains, which remain slow and overloaded"
Meta-Defense, February 2026
Lockheed Martin plans to reach a pace of 650 PAC-3 MSE missiles per year only by 2027 — and the queue is already formed. Denmark was offered two Patriot systems for $3.2 billion in August 2025 after an initial request for $8.5 billion. Copenhagen refused and signed a contract for SAMP/T NG with delivery from 2028 — third after France and Italy.
What is SAMP/T NG and why exactly this system
The system was developed by the Eurosam consortium — a joint venture of MBDA and Thales. Its radar scans 350 km of space with full 360° coverage rotating once per second. According to Eurosam adviser Eric Tabacki, this is a fundamental advantage over Patriot, which operates in a narrower detection arc. A battery carries 48 Aster 30 missiles in vertical launch systems.
Practice in Ukraine added arguments: according to Army Recognition, in October 2025, a SAMP/T battery near Vinnytsia destroyed three cruise missiles in 30 seconds and promptly changed position to avoid a retaliatory strike from kamikaze drones. Ukrainian operators noted the system's resistance to electronic warfare.
15 countries — and none are waiting for Patriot willingly
According to Bloomberg, Eurosam is in negotiations with Kuwait and Hungary, while Switzerland and Estonia have publicly stated their interest. Estonia is considering SAMP/T NG in competition with Patriot PAC-3 and the Israeli David's Sling. If Switzerland settles on SAMP/T, it will become the fifth operator of the system in Europe after France, Italy, Ukraine, and Denmark.
- Denmark — chose SAMP/T NG in September 2025 after refusing Patriot due to price and timelines
- Switzerland — evaluating SAMP/T as plan B after Patriot's 4–5 year delay
- Kuwait and Hungary — in direct negotiations with Eurosam
- Estonia — publicly confirmed interest, decision not yet made
In parallel, France is promoting SAMP/T using the same logic as Rafale against F-35: European independence as a marketing argument in an era when allies felt the real cost of dependence on American FMS.
The question is not whether SAMP/T NG will become a mass NATO standard. The question is whether Eurosam will manage to expand its own production faster than the queue of 15 countries turns into the same bottleneck as at Lockheed Martin — and then the system's only advantage disappears.
