The Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile. By Wikimedia user (axesofevil2000)
A spokesperson for the German Ministry of Defense confirmed that Ukraine has submitted a request asking Berlin to supply long-range Taurus cruise missiles, Der Spiegel reported on May 26.
The Taurus KEPD 350 is a Swedish-German low-observable, air-launched cruise missile that is manufactured in Germany by Taurus Systems.
The missile utilizes a GPS-aided inertial navigation system backed by a terrain contour matching system. The same thermographic camera used for terrain navigation helps the missile home on its target during final approach using image matching.
The double 500-kilogram warhead of the missile features a precharge and initial penetrating charge that are designed to defeat hardened underground targets.
German parliamentarian of the Christian Democratic Union Roderich Kiesewetter has already urged the government to provide Ukraine with the long-range missile.
“Ukraine’s partners must now go ‘all-in’ and provide Ukraine with everything that Ukraine can use in combined arms combat and that is permissible under international law,” he said in an interview with RND on May 23. “Taurus cruise missiles with a range of up to 400 to 500 kilometers would be a very helpful contribution from Germany.”
According to Kiesewetter, out of 600 missiles purchased around ten years ago, Germany currently has around 150 operational ones.
The Taurus is comparable to the Anglo-French Storm Shadow air-launched cruise missile, which the United Kingdom supplied to Ukraine early on in May. Kiev forces have already launched several attacks with the missile against military and civilian targets in the Donbass region.
Ukraine reportedly received an export version of the Storm Shadow with the range downgraded from 560 kilometers to just 250.
There is no downgraded version of the Taurus, which means Germany will either supply Ukraine with the original version that can in theory reach the Russian capital, Moscow, or spend time and effort to cut down the range of the missile.
This is not the only issue that could prevent Germany from supplying the missile or delay deliveries. Much efforts will be needed to integrate the missile into Ukrainian Air Force Soviet-era warplanes. Only Su-24 fighter bombers, which are limited in numbers, will likely be capable of carrying the 1,400-kilogram missile. These bombers have already been modified to deploy the Storm Shadow which has a similar weight.
A single Taurus costs € 950,000, according to old estimates. This means that Germany will have to spend nearly 100 million to supply just 100 missiles to Ukraine.
Eventually, the German government will likely agree to arm Ukraine with Taurus missiles to avoid internal and external pressure. The Russian military will likely use the same tactics it is currently using against the Storm Shadow to deal with the Taurus, which includes targeting carrier warplanes from long ranges and attempting to jam and intercept the missile on the medium and short ranges.
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