Germany considers sending advanced Taurus missiles to Ukraine
The new German Chancellor, Friedrich Merz, during an interview with ZDF, did not rule out the possibility of delivering Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles to Ukraine. Here, we outline the capabilities of this weapon and what it could offer the Ukrainians.
In the ZDF interview, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz mentioned that supplying Ukraine with Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles is not off the table and remains a possible option for the coming months. He also noted that transferring these missiles would involve several months of training Ukrainians in their operation and maintenance.
A competitor to Storm Shadow, created by Germany and Sweden collaboration
The Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile is the result of a collaboration between Germany and Sweden that began in the 1990s. This initiative followed the decision to halt the development of long-range weapons with France in the 1980s due to political factors.
After Germany withdrew from the program, the UK stepped in, leading to the development of the Storm Shadow missile. Germany decided to collaborate with Sweden to develop its rocket, culminating in the creation of the Taurus KEPD 350, which was introduced in 2005. The missile's name stands for Kinetic Energy Penetration Destroyer.
Taurus KEPD 350 - similar, yet distinct from Storm Shadow
The Taurus KEPD 350 missile boasts a range of over 310 miles and incorporates stealth technology. It is designed to be launched from an aircraft, measuring approximately 16 feet in length and weighing around 3,086 pounds. The missile is powered by a turbojet engine and features folding wings, allowing it to fly low to the ground at subsonic speeds of 0.8 to 0.9 Mach.
Although its speed isn't particularly extreme compared to some other missiles, its stealth features and low-altitude flying, utilizing topographical features like riverbeds and ravines, make it difficult to detect.
For navigation under such conditions, the missile not only uses an inertial and satellite navigation module but is also equipped with an optoelectronic head featuring a fourth-generation infrared sensor (IIR from Imaging Infrared). This sensor enables thermal vision of the target and mapping of the surrounding terrain, providing precise point accuracy in the final flight phase and navigation even without satellite navigation, provided the missile has the latest digital terrain map uploaded.
This feature is similar to that in the much-admired Storm Shadow missiles, but the Taurus stands out with its globally unique feature—the MEPHISTO warhead, which weighs about 1,058 pounds (Multi-Effect Penetrator Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimized), specifically its fuse.
This warhead not only allows for impact or air detonation but also offers delayed detonation, for example, after penetrating two walls. The fuse features special sensors that detect obstacles and empty spaces, enabling precise detonation at a specified level within a bunker. This represents a significant advancement compared to other missiles, where the delay in detonation must be manually set based on data like estimated wall thickness.
This feature improves the success rate of attacks, such as those on command points or bridge infrastructure, by eliminating the risk of incorrect delay settings for the fuse detonation. For instance, a bridge recently survived an attack because the Storm Shadow missile's warhead detonated prematurely, a problem that the Taurus missile technology addresses effectively.
