How Germany's Taurus Missile Could Help Ukraine Retake Crimea

Table Of Content

• Taurus KEPD 350 Long-Range Air-to-Surface Missile
• FT Digital Edition
• The three digital data thread developments in 2022 that will transform defence logistics across land, air and sea
• CBRN Defence market to be worth over $21 billion by 2028
• IAI to supply air defence radar to an undisclosed European country
• How many Taurus missiles could Germany deliver?
• DragonFire to be installed on Royal Navy warships earlier than expected
• Explore our full range of subscriptions.

But Scholz has stalled for months on Ukraine’s desire for Taurus missiles, which have a range of up to 500 kilometers (310 miles) and could in theory be used against targets far into Russian territory. The system is a Mobile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Category II weapon, designed to penetrate thick, hardened air defences via a very low-level terrain following flight. Day or night and in any weather, it neutralises its targets through its highly effective 481 kg dual-stage warhead system, MEPHISTO.

Taurus KEPD 350 Long-Range Air-to-Surface Missile

The missile uses a combination of inertial navigation system (INS), image-based navigation (IBN), terrain-referenced navigation (TRN), and global positioning system (GPS) to guide itself to the target. The missile also has a high-resolution infrared camera that can support the navigation and the target acquisition. The missile has stealth features that reduce its radar cross-section and infrared signature. The missile also has self-defence mechanisms and electronic countermeasures to evade enemy air defences. The missile was designed to penetrate hardened and deeply buried targets, such as bunkers, command and control centres, as well as airfields, ports, ammunition depots, ships, and bridges.

FT Digital Edition

And the MP speaking on behalf of the SPD’s foreign-policy group, Nils Schmid, said he wouldn’t “rule out the possibility” on condition such transfers were in concert with the United States. A German Defense Ministry spokesperson told Newsweek on Monday they could not give any new information on the transfer of Taurus systems to Ukraine, referring to comments from German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius on August 3. They also discuss potential red lines for German politicians, including a desire to avoid the military being seen as directly involved. “German soldiers must at no point and in no place be linked to targets this system reaches,” he said last week. In her retort, German Foreign Minister Annalena Baerbock said, “If Russia had not brutally attacked this country, Ukraine would not have to defend itself,” according to the dpa news agency. The conversation on a sensitive subject was never meant to be public, and the leak embarrassed Germany and raised concerns about the security of its communications.

The three digital data thread developments in 2022 that will transform defence logistics across land, air and sea

The Taurus aviation cruise missile, known as the 'bunker buster', has the capability to penetrate air defences, delivering a deep hammer-like blow to the enemy. With what is known as terrain-referenced navigation, Taurus scans the ground and compares the images with previously stored data. These were delivered between 2005 and 2010, and integrated both on Luftwaffe Tornados and newer 4.5-generation Eurofighter Typhoon jets. So, Taurus spells very bad news for personnel and weapons sensibly sheltered in underground bunkers to protect against such strikes.

Ukraine: Germany will not supply Taurus cruise missiles - DW (English)

Ukraine: Germany will not supply Taurus cruise missiles.

Posted: Thu, 18 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

In Germany's three ruling parties and also among parts of the opposition, however, there are repeated calls for the "Taurus" cruise missiles to be delivered soon. The argument is that only with these would Ukraine have a chance of fending off the Russian attackers. However, experts agree that the weapon system would not bring about a real turnaround in the course of the war. Ukraine first formally requested the air-launched German-Swedish weapon in May.

Destroying the various bridges in Crimea could choke off Russian supplies to the peninsula. The Chonhar Bridge stretches from Russia's military logistics hub at Dzhankoi to Melitopol, the Russian-occupied city in Ukraine's southern Zaporizhzhia region. In the course of the discussion, it becomes clear that they are referring to the Kerch bridge linking Russia and occupied Crimea. One of the officials says that training to target the bridge, which is “as big as an airfield,” would likely take longer. Here is a look at the fallout from what German media are calling the “wiretapping affair” and the Taurus missiles at the heart of the tensions.

How many Taurus missiles could Germany deliver?

The missile carries about 481kg of inert multi-effect penetrator, high sophisticated and target optimised (MEPHISTO) dual stage warhead system for superior target penetration. The ignition system of the warhead is based on programmable intelligent multipurpose fuse (PIMPF). Maximum Penetration and High Sophistication in Target Optimization At the core of the TAURUS KEPD 350’s effectiveness lies its MEPHISTO tandem warhead.

DragonFire to be installed on Royal Navy warships earlier than expected

Series production of the Taurus KEPD 350 missiles for Luftwaffe began in 2004. The German Federal Office for Defense Technology and Procurement (BWB) contracted Taurus Systems for the development of the high precision stand-off guided missile system in 1998. Successful tests on the image assisted navigation system of Taurus KEPD 350 were conducted in June 2001. On Friday, Ukraine's ambassador to Germany, Oleksiy Makeev, dismissed the idea of sending Taurus missiles being an escalation, calling this a "pseudo-argument" in a post to X, formerly known as Twitter.

German defence minister: Not aware of cruise-missile swap offer - Reuters

German defence minister: Not aware of cruise-missile swap offer.

Posted: Thu, 25 Jan 2024 08:00:00 GMT [source]

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According to the developer, the maximum range of the missile has been increased to 500 km. Currently, in addition to the basic version of the KEPD 350, Taurus Systems GmbH offers a family of modular missiles that have different combat equipment and can be used on different targets and from different carriers. The lightweight version KEPD-150 is designed to equip the Swedish Air Force's JAS-39 Gripen multi-purpose fighter (see photo). The TAURUS CL variant is offered for arming advanced frigates and destroyer squadrons of the German Navy.

The missile's first test flight happened in 1999, but it only started being made in large quantities in 2004. Making just one missile costs over 1 million dollars, and many hundreds have been produced. It is reported that the TAURUS missile is equipped with a two-way data line, which will make it possible to use the missile against moving targets and to redirect it in flight.

They are equipped with the same navigation systems, with marginal improvements made to the Taurus and a different engine, he added. Sending the Taurus would bolster Ukraine's long-range strike capabilities, as the missiles only slightly differ from Storm Shadow missiles. Storm Shadow missiles manage to penetrate the first layer of the bridge, but fail to critically damage its structure, Hoffmann said. The Taurus, however, could have a secondary warhead which detonates once the initial blast gets through the first layer, he said.

While the range of Storm Shadows given to Ukraine remains unclear, export Storm Shadows typically are constrained to the lowest figure. Moments before impact, the missile releases a ‘precursor’ shaped charge weighing 220 pounds that blasts a hole in a hardened structure or underground bunker. Thanks to its PIMPF void-sensing smart fuse, the penetrator itself can be programmed to explode after having pierced through, say, a certain number of floors in an underground facility. A transfer to Ukraine would result in the first-ever combat use of Taurus, which is currently not in production. Germany claims that it only has 150 Taurus missiles operational out of the 600 received by the Luftwaffe from 2005 to 2010. However, manufacturer Taurus Systems (a two-thirds German, one-third Swedish joint venture) claims that the operational number is closer to 300.

The Taurus KEPD 350 is one of the most advanced air-launched cruise missiles in the world. It offers a long-range, precise, stealthy, and versatile strike capability against hard and soft targets. It is a formidable weapon that can enhance the air power of any country that possesses it. Work on improving the missile, its integration into modern weapon systems continues.