The general secretary of Aiad (the federation that brings together the Italian companies in the aerospace, security and defense sectors), Carlo Festucci, declared last 9 January, during a fact-finding investigation at the Defense Commission of the Chamber, which: if we do not do the CAMM-ER, ours is a country that will no longer have a defense. This is not an industrial problem. This is a problem of the country.
As is known, from the Defense Budget, 580 millions of euros have been cut and other 180 millions for what concerns the Ministry of Economic Development. As Carlo Festucci underlined, this means abandoning or slowing down many programs. In fact, among those at risk, there is the CAMM-ER (Common Anti-Air Modular Missile Extended Range).
The CAMM-ER program, the result of a previous government decision, involved an investment of 5 million in the 2017, 15 million in the 2018 and 30 in the 2019. The possible continuation of the development of the weapon system would require an allocation, between 2019 and 2031, of 545 million.
The Extended Range version of the missile Country Ceptor, is being studied by the UK and Italy divisions of MBDA. The goal is to respond to a specific need of the Italian Armed Forces interested in replacing current systems Skyguard e Swordfish based on a specific configuration of the radar-guided air-to-air missile Asp.
Il Land Ceptor (CAMM Land Application) draws on various US air-to-air ASRAAM missile technologies. In the ER version it benefits from an active radar driving system and its maximum speed, in the final phase of approach to the target, is indicated as supersonic. The range of the missile is indicated in over 45 km, thanks to a configuration that incorporates a booster.
The need for a new missile for the Italian Army is due to the obsolescence of the'Asp (now online by 40 years), which will have to start to be withdrawn from the service in the 2021.
