Saab Awarded German Taurus Missile Modernization Contract

Saab has been contracted for the maintenance and modernization of the German Air Force’s Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile.

Taurus Systems, a joint venture between MBDA Germany and Saab, awarded the 1.7-billion Swedish kronor ($161 million), 10-year contract to Saab.

The initial order was placed by the German defense procurement agency (BAAINBw) to Taurus Systems.

It includes major upgrades and ten years of life cycle maintenance.

“Taurus KEPD 350 enables the user to defeat targets at long ranges required for the most demanding air operations,” head of Saab’s business area Dynamics Gorgen Johansson said.

“The latest upgrades will provide the German Air Force with significant improvements.”

Taurus Neo

Earlier, MBDA was awarded a similar contract in October 2024. 

It was intended to keep the air-launched missile operational until 2045.

Meanwhile, 600 upgraded Taurus, called Taurus Neo, were reportedly being considered for procurement by the German Ministry of Defense.

The 2.1-billion-euro ($2.18 billion) procurement is expected to see delivery from 2029.

Expected upgrades include an automated terrain reference sensor for GPS-denied environments.

Taurus Missile

Designed to take out static and semi-stationary, ground-based, hardened, and high-value targets, the missile has a range of 500 kilometers (311 miles).

It features a dual-stage 480-kilogram (1,100-pound) warhead, wherein a pre-charge helps the main warhead penetrate a target’s outer layer and detonate at a specific pre-selected depth.

Additional features include terrain-hugging low-flight altitude to evade air defenses.