Missile defence shield: a European coalition is formed. From the Michelangelo Dome to the Samp/T systems, Italian-designed projects
The document, which took shape following the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit held on 7 and 8 July in Ankara, Turkey, was signed by the leaders of Italia, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom
Key points
A European coalition to develop a joint defence system against ballistic missiles. This is the main defence initiative launched on Monday 13 July in Paris, during the meeting of the Coalition of the Willing.
This is a joint declaration to launch the formation of a Coalition for Ballistic Missile Defence. The document, which took shape following the North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (NATO) summit held on 7 and 8 July in Ankara, Turkey, was signed by the leaders of Italia, Denmark, France, Germany, the Netherlands, Norway, Spain, Sweden, Ukraine and the United Kingdom.
The aim, according to the statement, is to rapidly develop a ‘purely defensive’ European defence capability through the establishment of an ‘integrated missile defence architecture’ capable of ‘deterring and neutralising future missile threats’. The first threat comes from the East, and takes the form of Russia.
The project will complement and integrate national systems already in service or in the process of being procured, drawing on cooperation between the defence industry, research and operational capabilities. All of this takes place against the backdrop of the United States’ gradual withdrawal from the European theatre, which US President Donald Trump has threatened on several occasions. ‘Over time,’ reads a report by Moody’s, ‘even the $50 billion in new contracts announced at the Ankara summit will help to bridge these capability gaps, as will the ‘NATO Innovation Scale-Up Package’, which aims to accelerate the adoption of new innovative products in priority areas such as deep strike capability and air defence’.”
The Freya system announced by Zelensky
It is precisely on this point – the deployment of an ‘umbrella’ capable of protecting the countries of the Atlantic Alliance from attacks from the air – that the document issued following the Paris meeting focuses. The idea, most likely, is to join forces – involving Ukraine – in the production of the Freya system, a sort of Patriot with a European twist. It was Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky himself who spoke about Freya on 10 July. ‘It is an anti-ballistic system similar to the Patriot, but easier to mass-produce and less expensive,’ he explained. ‘This is a European model. Our task is to bring together leaders, companies and national security advisers and present the relevant project to countries that can help Ukraine implement it very quickly.”
