New reporting by @hartpunkt.bsky.social points to a “substantial” Taurus order expected by late 2025/early 2026. A four-digit order would make sense, as I have been told the German Air Force has a requirement of at least 2,000 Taurus-like missile systems. www.hartpunkt.de/bundeswehr-w... 1/3
Better late than never. Still, I believe it when I see it.
Including the 600 existing Taurus KEPD 350, 75 JASSM-ER, and roughly 200 JSM, an order of about 1,000 missiles would pretty much meet this need. Combined with a likely RCM² order, this would finally put Germany on a path toward an at least moderately robust long-range strike capability. 2/3
The obvious question of course is why it will have taken nearly four years to reach this point. Those missiles could already be rolling off the production line had German decisionmakers acted decisively in 2022/2023. 3/3
The question remains, which aircraft will launch them. Tornado going out of service, Typhoon not certified yet and F-35 rather unlikely to happen. Certification of Typhoon seems to be the only logic option.
Scholzing around
To add: It all depends, of course, on when MBDA Germany, Saab, and their subcontractors can deliver, but I assume deliveries would not begin before 2029. This means that unless production capacity exceeds 200 units per year, the order would likely not be completed before 2035. 4/5
Previous Taurus production capacity was likely around 50 to 100 units annually, so a substantial increase beyond the earlier maximum would be necessary. 5/5
This is abysmally slow. Europeans might as well start taking Russian lessons right now.
Oi, unfortunately, I don't think the former chancellor was the right man for the job at that time.
Also concerning that Eurofighter still not certified and adapted for carrying Taurus. That would have been achieved within three months in Ukraine. If I remember correctly, a ground-launch capability was envisioned early in the program - why hasn't that idea been revisited?
Probably because Merz sent so many of them, as he promised, that the stocks need to be replenished.
The fact that Merz campaigned with sending them to Ukraine so hard, and now we don't even talk about it ever,.. really disappointing. And like you wrote, if the West started 3 years ago we could produce hundreds of those each month by now and the war would be devastating for Russian industry.
It is also important to have suitable airfields. With protected hangars and runways without potholes. Or will the “Autobahn” model be used again? We are a small country. Don't forget that. A four-digit number – I wonder where they are supposed to fly to and why we haven't sent any there yet.
mindestens drei jahre zu spät, though.