Italy Sent Ukraine Something SECRET… Russia Will HATE This

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Become a Member Today and Unlock EXCLUSIVE Videos: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKfak8fBm_Lhy4eX9UKxEpA/join  Italy has secretly approved a $3.5 billion military aid package for Ukraine, delivering four next-generation SAMP/T NG air defense batteries, Aster 30 interceptor missiles, and seven long-range radars. Timed ahead of an expected winter barrage, the move addresses Ukraine's severe Patriot missile shortages while laying the groundwork for domestic Aster 30 missile production. Discover how Rome's decisive air defense upgrade threatens to neutralize Russia’s crucial ballistic missile advantage.  ⏱️ CHAPTERS: 00:00 - Italy Secretly Approves 3.5 Billion Aid Package for Ukraine 02:08 - Italian Government Sidesteps Domestic Politics for Military Aid 03:57 - Italy Prepares to License Local Aster 30 Missile Production 04:59 - SAMP/T NG Air Defense Specs and 400km Radar Surveillance 06:04 - Aster 30 Interceptor Features PIF-PAF Control System 09:08 - Russia Launches Record 376 Missiles in July Escalation 11:04 - Ukraine Patriot Interceptor Shortage Reaches Critical Level 12:27 - Aster 30 vs MIM-104 Patriot Air Defense Comparison 13:38 - Russian Army Ground Advances Collapse in August 15:20 - SAMP/T NG Deliveries Shatter Vladimir Putin Missile Illusion  Support us directly as we bring you independent, up-to-date reporting on military news and global conflicts by clicking here: https://www.youtube.com/@TheMilitaryShow/join  #militarystrategy #militarydevelopments #militaryanalysis #themilitaryshow  SOURCES: https://pastebin.com/dD20ZYxp

Transcript

00:01Russia's ballistic missiles keep flying. Ukraine is struggling to do anything about them as it

00:06grapples with a shortage of Patriot missile interceptors. A solution is needed and fast

00:11to ensure that Ukraine can protect itself during the winter while continuing to do war-ending

00:16damage to Russia. That solution is coming. Italy is riding into the rescue. In a top-secret deal,

00:23Italy has just agreed to give something to Ukraine that Russia will hate. The air defense

00:27gap is being filled, and it's happening just in time to stop the Kremlin's winter assault.

00:32On August 27th, the Kiev Independent reported that Italy has assembled a new military aid

00:37package for Ukraine. As part of that package, Ukraine will be receiving four next-generation

00:43Samp-T-NG air defense batteries, which are a massive upgrade over the Samp-Ts that Ukraine

00:49currently operates, along with a stockpile of the Patriot-like Aster-30 interceptor missiles to go

00:55with it. And to ensure those missiles can find their targets, Italy will also be providing

01:00seven long-range radars to Ukraine, allowing Ukraine to pick off Russia's ballistic missiles

01:05from a distance and offering vital protection to its cities and infrastructure. All told,

01:11the aid package, which is valued at $3.5 billion, is the 13th that Italy has delivered to Ukraine,

01:16and it's all going to be funded using loans from the European Union.

01:20We're about to dig deeper, but before we do, this channel is built by real people who care

01:25about getting the story right. Subscribe, join the conversation below, and consider becoming a

01:31member to support human-made military reporting and unlock exclusive content.

01:36Better yet for Ukraine, this isn't a case of a promise being made for weapons that will be

01:40arriving so far in the future that Ukraine can't use them when it needs them most. At least some of

01:45the missiles Italy is providing will be delivered to Ukraine by October, just in time for Ukraine to

01:51replenish its stockpiles ahead of an anticipated winter assault against its cities and energy

01:55infrastructure. As for when the rest of the package will arrive, nothing has been confirmed yet,

02:00but it seems likely that it will be some point after the first batch of missiles are delivered,

02:05and likely sometime in 2027. But there's something that we mentioned in the intro that we haven't

02:09covered yet. We told you this package was a secret. How could that be when we're telling you what

02:14the package contains? The answer is that the package isn't a secret to the public now that it's been

02:19announced. The secrecy came before anybody knew that Italy was going to make this decision.

02:24That's according to Italian outlet La Repubblica, which says that the Italian government made the

02:29decision to send air defenses to Ukraine behind closed doors as a way to sidestep any internal

02:34political conflicts that might have led to a delay in the announcement. Officially, and right up until

02:39the announcement was made, Italy was only going to transfer civilian power generators to Ukraine.

02:45It wasn't until August 26th that those within Italy's government who might have opposed the aid

02:50package learn that they've been cut out of the decision. A sneaky move, perhaps, but one that

02:55seems to be needed if the Italian government is going to be able to continue supporting Ukraine

02:59the way it needs to be supported. As Politico pointed out in an August 4th article, there is division

03:05within both Italy and the country's political circles as to whether more aid should be provided

03:10to Ukraine. The former Italian Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte, who now leads the Five Star Movement,

03:16suggested that Italy may cease military aid if his party wins Italy's next election.

03:21Italians are also less invested in Ukraine's success than people in other European countries.

03:26A February YouGov poll found that just 32% of Italian people care whether Ukraine wins against

03:32Russia. Up until now, Italy has also been one of the smallest contributors to Ukraine,

03:37handing over support equivalent to 0.17% of its gross domestic product.

03:41So the reason for the subterfuge becomes clear. Ukraine will be happy to learn that Italy's

03:46current leaders are more supportive of its cause than many others in the country seem to be.

03:50So supportive, in fact, that this military aid package isn't the only thing that Rome is doing

03:54to help Ukraine with its air defense challenges. As RBC Ukraine points out, Italy seems to be on the

04:00verge of joining France in licensing the production of Aster-30 air defense missiles so they can be

04:05built in Ukraine. France made that decision back in mid-July, along with giving Ukraine licenses to

04:10build scalp cruise missiles and Assam Hammer guided bomb kits. Italy, which is also involved in the

04:16production of Aster-30, appears not to have given the go-ahead yet, though this latest aid package

04:21suggests that it will be giving the thumbs up sooner rather than later. That's another huge win for

04:25Ukraine. The country has two SAMP-T batteries ready, and will soon be adding to that number.

04:31However, the issue, since the summer of 2025, is that Ukraine has been running low on the Aster-30 missiles

04:37it needs to use those batteries effectively. Now it's getting more SAMP-T systems and Aster-30 missiles

04:43to go with them, and soon it will be in control of its own destiny as it will be able

04:47to build as many

04:47Aster-30s as it needs. With the intrigue behind Italy's aid package uncovered, let's take a closer

04:53look at what Ukraine is going to be getting. We'll start with the SAMP-Ts, or more accurately,

04:58the SAMP-T-NGs. Ukraine already has SAMP-Ts operating on its territory, but the batteries

05:03it's going to be receiving from Italy are the upgraded versions of this air defense system that

05:08are even more effective against Russia's ballistic missile threat. Manufacturer MBDA Systems makes that

05:14clear right off the bat in its description of the SAMP-T-NG, noting that it has even greater

05:19anti-tactical ballistic missile capabilities than its predecessor. On top of that, this next

05:24generation system has a higher rate of fire, a new multi-function radar for threat detection,

05:29and it streamlines crew requirements while still enabling a rapid response time to incoming missile

05:34threats. What all of this amounts to, according to Army Technology, is an air defense system that

05:40has a surveillance range of about 400 kilometers and a strike range of more than 150 kilometers.

05:45The upgraded SAMP-T-NG can also operate both autonomously and as part of a wider network

05:51of air defenses, and it's designed to deal with ballistic missiles that have ranges of over 600

05:56kilometers, making it ideally suited to taking out the Iskander ballistic missiles that form the

06:01majority of Russia's aerial strike package. However, as impressive as the SAMP-T-NG may be,

06:06it's the Aster-30 that is the real highlight of the aid that Italy is going to be sending to

06:11Ukraine.

06:11After all, it doesn't matter how good an air defense system is if the missile it fires isn't

06:17capable of doing what Ukraine needs it to do. The Aster-30 is very capable. Sometimes referred

06:22to as Europe's version of the Patriot interceptor, and we'll be conducting a closer comparison later,

06:27the Aster-30 is a special missile. The missile story begins with Russia.

06:32Toward the end of the Cold War, Europe was dealing with the fact that the Soviet Union had built an

06:36enormous military that was centered on the idea of overwhelming enemies with aerial firepower,

06:41including massive numbers of aircraft and mass missile strikes. We're seeing the latter portion

06:46of that strategy being implemented by Russia against Ukraine over 30 years later.

06:50At the time, Europe's air defenses weren't up to snuff. The UK had the rapier system,

06:56and France had its crotales, but they were only good for dealing with threats up close. Both systems

07:01were fine for defending small bases, but they wouldn't do the job for entire cities.

07:05Europe needed something bigger and better, and it was France and Italy who combined to provide it.

07:10A joint venture between MBDA and the Thales Group led to the creation of a family of air defense

07:16missiles that would give Europe something that it could use to counter Russia's ballistic and

07:20cruise missile threat. The Aster-30 was one of the products of this collaboration,

07:24and it's a special kind of missile. So special that the Defense Post calls the missile

07:29Europe's shield against modern air threats in a July 30 article. The outlet has a point,

07:35The Aster-30 is a surface-to-air missile that can be launched from land-based platforms such as the

07:40Samp-T, along with several naval platforms. It weighs 992 pounds, can reach a top speed of Mach 4.5,

07:47and has a range of more than 150 kilometers. It's capable of taking down aircraft, choppers, drones,

07:53and both cruise and ballistic missiles. And its newer variants, the Aster-30 Block 1 and Block NT,

07:59have enhanced sensors and stronger guidance systems, making them even more lethal against ballistic

08:05missiles.

08:06Speaking of guidance, the Aster-30 uses the Pilotage en Force, Pilotage Aerodynamique Fort,

08:11or PIF-PAF control system. PIF-PAF allows the missile to use lateral thrusters to execute

08:17extremely sharp turns, allowing the Aster-30 to quickly adjust its course to stay locked onto a

08:23target. It's one of the most maneuverable air defense missiles in the world. But rather than going on the

08:28chase, the missile's guidance system typically allows it to intercept the target where it's going to be,

08:33rather than where it is. That guidance comes in the form of external radars, which you'll remember

08:38Italy is providing to Ukraine for its SAMP-TNG batteries, and an internal active radar homing

08:44sensor built into the missile itself. And so far, the Aster-30s that have been deployed in Ukraine

08:49have done precisely what they're designed to do. Ukraine needs this missile, desperately.

08:54But before we explain why, and discuss why Italy's secret package is such bad news for Russia,

08:59this is a reminder that you're watching the military show. If you haven't subscribed yet,

09:03now is the perfect time to hit the button and enable notifications.

09:08Italy's air defense package is arriving at the perfect time for Ukraine,

09:12because Russia has been ramping up its missile threat as we head closer to the fall and winter.

09:16July alone offers the perfect example. That month saw Ukraine record its highest number

09:22of civilian casualties since the first month of the Russian invasion, with at least 437 civilians killed,

09:28and 2,610 injured during the course of the month. That makes July the deadliest month since April,

09:35with casualties 70% higher than those in July 2025 and 30% higher than those in June 2026.

09:42These casualties are happening because of a combination of Russia's ballistic missiles

09:46and Putin's willingness to commit war crimes by purposefully targeting civilians.

09:51It's no coincidence that a July that saw so much death is also the month when Russia broke its own

09:56record for the number of missiles it launched at Ukraine in a single month. France 24 reports that

10:02Ukraine recorded 376 missiles launched at its territory in July, which is about twice the number

10:08launched in June. And it's not as though Russia has been slowing down in August. On August 27th,

10:13Russia unleashed one of the many aerial assaults against Ukraine we've seen as the summer draws to a

10:17close. This one included seven ballistic missiles and two Onyx missiles. Russia is leaning so heavily into

10:24its ballistic missile strategy that it's even started configuring platforms intended for air defense

10:29so that they can be used to launch strikes against Ukraine. In an August 27th report,

10:34the New Voice of Ukraine revealed that Russia has modified up to 17 of its S-400 air defense platforms

10:40so that they can launch RM-48U guided missiles. Ukraine's intelligence agency says that these

10:46modifications are the reason why more RM-48U missile attacks have been recorded in 2026,

10:51and it claims that Russia has split these modified S-400s between Bryansk and Rostov oblasts.

10:56In the first 20 days of July, Russia used these S-400s to unleash 46 missiles against Ukraine,

11:03having previously stuck to an average of 15 missiles per month.

11:06Long story short, Ukraine has a Russian missile problem, but that's nothing new, even though it's an

11:12escalating issue. What is new and what compounds this problem to the point of serious danger for Ukraine,

11:17is that Russia is escalating its missile launches because it knows that Ukraine is running out of

11:22Patriot missile interceptors. In an August 17th report, CNN called Ukraine's diminishing supply

11:28of Patriot missiles the country's big Achilles heel. It notes that some of the country's Patriot batteries

11:33have sat empty for at least 10 weeks. Ukraine's President Volodymyr Zelensky says that Ukraine needs

11:395% of America's stockpile of Patriot missiles to get through the winter, but it only has 1%.

11:45The US and Ukraine's allies either aren't providing more or they're promising Patriots that will come

11:50too late. For instance, the BBC reports that the US is planning to increase its annual production of

11:55Patriot interceptors from 600 to 2,000, likely prompted as much by the US using hundreds of

12:01these missiles during Operation Epic Fury in Iran as by Ukraine's needs. But this production scaling will

12:07take several years to complete, which isn't quick enough for Ukraine as it prepares for Russia's

12:12inevitable winter assault. Against this backdrop, it's much easier to see why Italy's military aid

12:17package is so important to Ukraine. New SAMP-TNG batteries will allow Ukraine to protect more of

12:23its territory, though we don't know if those batteries will arrive in Ukraine in time for winter.

12:27We do know that Aster-30s should land in Ukraine at some point in October, and they'll arrive just in

12:32time to fill the gap left by the US-made Patriot interceptors. Is this a like-for-like replacement?

12:38Not exactly. But the Aster-30 is a great alternative to the Patriot. When comparing the two, the national

12:44interest says the European interceptor missile actually combines the best of both worlds of

12:49the Patriot interceptor. The Aster-30 combines the anti-aircraft capabilities of the Pac-2 with the

12:55anti-missile features of the Pac-3, and it does it all at a comparable cost. The SAMP-T batteries

13:01used to

13:01fire the missiles cost about half as much as a Patriot battery, though it isn't clear if that's the case

13:06for the upgraded SAMP-TNGs that Ukraine will be receiving. The only downside is that the SAMP-T's

13:11radars don't see as far as the Patriot's radars. But again, that might change with the new generation

13:16of SAMP-T. For Ukraine, a little less range is a compromise it will be more than willing to make

13:21to get its hands on air defense missiles that could save civilians and energy infrastructure

13:26from Russia's ballistic missile threat. What we're seeing here is that Italy just threw Ukraine a

13:31winter lifeline, and the fact that the Italian government did it all in secret is a massive signal

13:36to Ukraine that this government isn't going to succumb to the war weariness that seems to be spreading

13:40in some quarters of Italy. The Kremlin will be furious about all of this, and not just because it's

13:45being forced to watch as Italy offers a level of support that nobody, even those inside Italy,

13:50saw coming. That fury stems from something that Putin doesn't want anybody to know. Russia isn't relying so heavily on

13:56its

13:56missile attacks because of the damage they do. It's relying on missiles because Russian forces are

14:01utterly failing on the ground. Italy has handed Ukraine the keys to a potential war-ender,

14:07especially if it goes the extra mile and clears the path for Ukraine to start its own Aster-30

14:11production. Putin needs his ballistic missiles to strike their targets. They are the only options

14:17Russia has for doing serious damage to Ukraine's defenses right now. We can see that in the crawling

14:22advance of Russia's soldiers on the ground. Well, we say advance. As of August 22nd, Russia has

14:28actually lost ground against Ukraine in August. When taking infiltration units out of the equation,

14:33Russia is 27.1 square kilometers in the red. If that trend continues to the end of the month,

14:38this will mark the third month in 2026 when Russia has actively lost ground against Ukraine,

14:45the Institute for the Study of War reports. So while Ukraine's lack of Patriot interceptors has

14:49provided Russia with an opportunity to make its missile advantage count, the reason the Kremlin

14:54now leans so heavily into that strategy is that it has run out of other options. Ukraine's main

15:00directorate of intelligence reports that Russia currently has about 1,900 missiles intended for

15:05strikes against Ukraine, suggesting that further escalation is coming. But rather than the showcase

15:10of strength that Russia wants it to be, what we're really looking at is the last roll of the dice

15:14for

15:14the Kremlin. For Russia, Ukraine getting more air defense missiles is Anathema because it's the

15:20counter to the last advantage Russia has. Even more dangerous for Russia, Al Jazeera reports,

15:26is that Putin is trapped in a missile illusion. Russia's leader doesn't see that he'll have run

15:30out of options once the ballistic missiles are made less effective. At least that's according to the

15:35head of Ukraine-based think tank Penta. Volodymyr Fesenko tells Al Jazeera,

15:39Russia has an advantage, and Russia is using this advantage, using it cynically, violently.

15:45It creates a disbalance, and the situation is keeping us far from any real peace talks.

15:50These days, Putin has an illusion that he can win this war because Ukraine has a huge deficit

15:54of interceptor missiles. That illusion shatters if Ukraine gets a steady supply of interceptors,

16:00and that's why Italy's secret aid package is so important. No, this package won't nullify Russia's

16:05missile advantage completely, but it gives Ukraine breathing room. And with the Asta 30 licensing deal

16:10in the works, along with a similar licensing deal for Patriot missiles that is up in the air,

16:15Ukraine is on the precipice of being able to build as well as buy and receive,

16:19the one weapon that Russia needs to keep out of Ukraine. Ukraine will wait for the licenses,

16:24but come October it will receive an Italian superpower that it can use to mitigate Russia in the winter,

16:29and set up for a 2027 where it does more damage to Putin's forces than ever before.

16:35Russia can't afford to lose its missile advantage because one of the few other advantages that it has

16:40is rapidly disappearing. Manpower is becoming a problem for Putin. As the Kremlin edges closer to

16:46doing something sinister, Russians are escaping the country while they still can. Find out what all of

16:52this means by watching our video. But before you watch that video, we hope you enjoyed this one.

16:56If you did, consider subscribing and letting us know your thoughts below. You can also become a

17:00channel member for access to exclusive content we don't publish publicly. And thank you, as always, for watching.

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