The German military and MBDA have signed a contract for the maintenance and modernization of the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile.
The work will keep the air-launched missile operational until at least 2045.
“In addition to maintenance, the system will receive technological upgrades to meet the increasing demands placed on modern weapon systems,” MBDA stated in a press release, without revealing further details.
Meanwhile, a total of 600 upgraded Taurus, called Taurus Neo, were being considered for procurement by the German Ministry of Defence, Spiegel reported in October.
According to the German outlet, the 2.1-billion-euro ($2.18 billion) procurement could see the first delivery in 2029.
A majority of the procurement amount would be needed in 2029 but only 350 million euros ($364 million) in 2025.
Taurus
Considered the most advanced missile in its category, the Taurus is designed to penetrate high-value and hardened targets from a standoff range of over 500 kilometers (311 miles).
Its dual-stage 480-kilogram (1,100-pound) warhead features a pre-charge that helps the main warhead punch through layered targets and detonate at a specific pre-selected depth.
It is possible due to the warhead’s programmable fuse that utilizes “layer counting and void sensing technologies,” according to MBDA.
The feature is behind Ukraine’s clamor for the weapon despite having a similar Franco-British Storm Shadow/ Scalp missile at its disposal.
Unlike the Taurus, the Storm Shadow/ Scalp uses a fuse that requires manual setting of the delay between impact and detonation.
“That makes it difficult to properly target complex objects like bridges, as the warhead may have to first pass through a relatively thin roadbed before impacting on the real objective — the concrete pillar holding up the whole structure,” Politico wrote last year.
Additionally, the Taurus flies at a very low terrain-hugging altitude to penetrate air defenses and strike high-value stationary and semi-stationary targets.
Upgrade
Apart from the greater range and warhead, the upgrades could include an automated image-based terrain reference sensor for GPS-denied environments, new seeker, and image processing.
According to Defence Network, the image-based sensor requires weeks or months of manual map-making before employment.
The missile was developed in the early 2000s and inducted into the German Air Force in 2005.
It is launched by the Tornado strike aircraft and has been tested on the Eurofighter as well.
It is not clear from which platform the Taurus Neo will be launched, as the retirement of the Tornado fleet is scheduled by 2030.