Germany does not want to supply TAURUS KEPD 350 missiles to Ukraine
TAURUS KEPD 350 rocket against the background of a Panavia Tornado aircraft
Last year, German lawmakers proposed helping the Kyiv regime with the supply of TAURUS KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles. This idea was actively discussed, but did not receive approval. Recently this proposal was returned to and discussed again. Parliamentarians and the country's top leadership did not allow the export of missiles for the second time. The reasons for this decision are political in nature and directly related to national security.
Long debate
Let us recall that the idea of transferring Taurus missiles to the Kyiv regime was first voiced in May 2023. It was expressed by Bundestag deputy and retired Bundeswehr officer Roderich Kiesewetter from the Christian Democratic Union. In one of his interviews, he expressed the idea of providing Ukrainian partners with modern long-range aviation weapons.
In that interview, Deputy Kiesewetter recalled that in the past the German Air Force purchased approx. 600 missiles, and about 150 units. are still suitable for use and use. A certain number of combat-ready products could be sent to Ukraine to increase the combat capabilities of its air force. It was proposed to use Soviet-built aircraft available to the “innovative forces” as a platform for the KEPD 350.
The proposal to supply TAURUS products was soon commented on by German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius. Without focusing on a specific missile, he pointed out the need to continue assistance to Ukraine, but recalled a responsible attitude to making plans. A few weeks after this, the minister announced the impossibility of delivering long-range cruise missiles. Federal Chancellor Olaf Scholz expressed the same position.
At the end of October, the missile manufacturer TAURUS Systems (a joint venture of the German MBDA Systems and the Swedish Saab Dynamics) held a press conference, the main topic of which, predictably, was the possibility of supplying ammunition to Ukraine.
Eurofighter Typhoon with TAURUS product
Executives said that TAURUS Systems may restart production of KEPD 350 missiles for delivery to one or another customer. This requires a corresponding decision from the leadership of Germany, as well as time to carry out the work - about a year. At the same time, difficulties with the supply of individual units and products could not be ruled out, due to which the start of deliveries could shift to the right. A few days later, the MBDA Systems press service clarified that the resumption of missile production was possible as soon as possible, but without any clarification.
Latest events
The German leadership plans to continue supporting the Kyiv regime and is taking appropriate organizational measures. Thus, in mid-February, the ruling coalition submitted to parliament a proposal to transfer additional weapons and ammunition to Ukraine. The document mentioned the possibility of supplying long-range systems, but did not directly name the TAURUS KEPD 350 missile.
On February 22, Defense Minister B. Pistorius spoke in the Bundestag. Once again he spoke about the need to help Ukraine and provide various weapons. At the same time, in his speech he never openly mentioned the Taurus product. Then two votes were held in parliament on supply initiatives weapons.
Proposal for the transfer of various weapons systems, incl. long-range, it was approved - 382 votes for and 284 against. At the same time, the proposal for KEPD 350 missiles was put to a vote separately. This time the results were much worse - 180 deputies voted for the provision of missiles, and 480 were against.
On February 26, Chancellor O. Scholz put an end to the controversy surrounding TAURUS – at least for the time being. He rejected the possibility of sending such cruise missiles to the Kyiv regime. According to him, Germany should not have anything to do with missile attacks organized by Ukrainian formations. In addition, the missiles must be maintained by German personnel, who will then need to be deployed in Ukraine.
O. Scholz spoke out against the presence of German military personnel on Ukrainian territory due to the threat to their lives and health, as well as due to the risks of escalating the conflict and possibly drawing Germany into open confrontation. At the same time, he noted that Germany, unlike France and Great Britain, does not intend to participate in the preparation of attacks on Russian targets.
Spanish EF-18 fighter-bomber with KEPD 350 missile
Thus, the next round of discussion of possible deliveries of TAURUS KEPD 350 missiles to Ukraine ended with the rejection of such an idea. The proposal to transfer such weapons to the Kyiv regime was not approved by the German parliament, and then the chancellor again spoke out against it. The supply issue is closed - at least for the next few months.
Opportunities missed
The Kiev regime, to put it mildly, was not happy with the decision of the German leadership. The Ukrainian command is critically dependent on the supply of foreign weapons and equipment, and it is with them that all the most daring plans are connected to counter the Russian army, to launch strikes deep in Russian territory, etc. The refusal of official Berlin sharply reduces the potential capabilities of the Ukrainian formations.
It should be recalled what the Kiev regime was left without. The TAURUS KEPD 350 (Target Adaptive Unitary & Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System, Kinetic Energy Penetrating Destroyer - “Automatic general-purpose system with unitary and cassette equipment adapted to the target; kinetic penetrating weapon”) is an air-launched cruise missile for tactical aviation. It is designed to engage various stationary targets at ranges of up to 300 km (export version) or up to 500 km.
The missile is built in a “low-profile” rectangular body with a length of 5,1 m and a width of approx. 1 m. There is a folding wing with a span of approx. 2 m and tail rudders. Launch weight - 1,4 tons. Inside the body, the instrument compartment, warhead and engine are located in series. Free volumes are allocated for fuel tanks. The product is equipped with a Williams P8300‐15 turbojet engine with a thrust of 680 kgf. With its help, speeds of up to 0,95 M are achieved.
A combined control system with inertial and satellite navigation, radio altimeter and optical homing head was used. The ability to hit a target with an accuracy of several meters is declared. A 480-mm tandem penetrating warhead of the MEPHISTO type (Multi-Effect Penetrator Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimized - “Complex and target-adapted penetrating charge with several effects”) is delivered to the target.
The KEPD 350 missiles were initially carried by Panavia Tornado aircraft. They were then introduced into the Eurofighter Typhoon weapon system. The Spanish Air Force uses Taurus with EF-18 aircraft, and South Korea has modified its F-15K. In the case of Ukraine, Su-24s with the appropriate set of instruments were considered as carriers.
TAURUS as part of the F-15E weapons
Missile Arsenal
Kiev assumed that German TAURUS cruise missiles would complement the ammunition it already had, received from Great Britain and France. Thus, in May 2023, the British Air Force transferred Storm Shadow cruise missiles to their Ukrainian colleagues, and later similar SCALP-EG products arrived from France. According to various sources, at least 150-200 missiles of both types were delivered, and additional batches of such weapons could be transferred in the future.
Already in May, the Ukrainian Air Force first tried to use imported missiles. The first launch ended in defeating the intended target, but the carrier aircraft did not escape Russian air defense. Subsequently, our radar and air defense systems learned to detect and hit cruise missiles of both types in a timely manner. The count of “Storm Shadow” and “Scalps” shot down is already in the dozens.
It is unknown what the combat use of TAURUS missiles by “innovative forces” might look like. But we can assume that there are no fundamental differences from the use of British-French missiles of the same class. Some missiles would have managed to reach their targets, but others would have been shot down, incl. along with the carriers.
However, due to the second refusal by Germany, the use of TAURUS missiles is possible only in the form of a thought experiment. In reality, the Ukrainian Air Force continues to make limited use of only Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG, and the effectiveness of such weapons remains extremely low. The size of existing arsenals is constantly decreasing, and the fleet of carrier aircraft is also decreasing.
Political motive
The controversy surrounding the supply of German TAURUS KEPD 350 missiles to Ukraine is of some interest. These processes and their results show that some foreign partners of the Kyiv regime are not ready to help it with all available means. For all the statements about friendship and assistance, as well as about the joint fight against the notorious Russian aggression, Berlin does not want to take some actions.
We can expect that in the foreseeable future certain forces will again raise the issue of transferring Taurus. However, a positive decision is again not guaranteed. It seems that the German leadership, in providing assistance to the Kyiv regime, has reached a line, the crossing of which is contrary to its own interests and threatens security. Whether Berlin will be able to maintain such integrity in the future, time will tell.
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