TAURUS KEPD 350
A Taurus on display at the 2006 ILA air show
TypeAir-launched cruise missile, Land-attack missile, Anti-ship missile
Place of originGermany and Sweden
Service history
In service2005–present
Used byGermany, South Korea, Spain[1]
Production history
DesignerTaurus Systems GmbH
Designed1998–2005
ManufacturerTaurus Systems GmbH
MBDA
Unit cost€ 950,000 (US$1.12 million)
Specifications
Mass1,400 kg (3,100 lb)[2]
Length5.1 m (16 ft 9 in)
Height0.805 m (31.7 in)
Diameter1.080 m (42.5 in)
Wingspan2.064 m (6 ft 9.3 in)
Warhead481 kg (1,060 lb)[3] MEPHISTO (multi-effect penetrator highly sophisticated and target optimised)[4]
EngineWilliams WJ38-15 turbofan
Operational
range
>500 km (310 mi)[5]
Flight altitude30–70 m (98–230 ft)[6]
Maximum speed Mach 0.60-0.95[6]
Guidance
system
IBN (image-based navigation), INS (inertial navigation system), TRN (terrain-referenced navigation) and MIL-GPS (Global Positioning System)
Launch
platform
Integrated: Tornado, F/A-18, F-15K
(Tested: Gripen, Typhoon)[7]

The Taurus KEPD 350[lower-alpha 1] is a Swedish-German air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems and used by Germany, Spain, and South Korea.[8] Taurus Systems GmbH is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH (formerly LFK) and Saab Bofors Dynamics.[9]

History

During the Cold War Germany wanted to buy French Apache missiles, which did not work out. In 1998, Germany funded the development of a powered system to be designated KEPD-350 with the acronym TAURUS (Target Adaptive Unitary and dispensor Robotic Ubiquity System).[10]

Overview

The missile incorporates stealth technology and has an official range in excess of 500 km (300 mi).[11] It is powered by a turbofan engine at Mach 0.95 and can be carried by Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab JAS 39 Gripen, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18 Hornet, and McDonnell Douglas F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft.

The dual stage 480-kilogram (1,100 lb) warhead, called MEPHISTO (multi-effect penetrator highly sophisticated and target optimised),[4] features a precharge and initial penetrating charge to clear soil or enter "hard and deeply buried targets" (HDBT) such as hardened underground bunkers, then a variable delay fuze to control detonation of the main warhead. The missile weighs about 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) and has a maximum body diameter of 1 metre (3.3 ft). Intended targets are hardened bunkers; command, control, and communications facilities; airfield and port facilities; ammunition storage facilities; ships in port or at sea; area target attack and bridges.[12]

The missile also includes countermeasures as a self-defence mechanism and electronic countermeasures.

Mission planners program the missile with the target, air defence locations and planned ground path, then the missile uses a low terrain-hugging flight path guided by inertial navigation system (INS), image based navigation (IBN), terrain referenced navigation (TRN), and Global Positioning System (GPS) to the proximity of the target, although it is capable of navigating over very long distances without GPS support.[13][5]

Once there the missile commences a bunt (climb) manoeuvre to an altitude intended to achieve the best probability of target acquisition and penetration. During the cruise flight a high resolution thermographic camera (infrared homing) can support the navigation by using IBN and is also used for GPS-free target attack. The missile attempts to match a camera image with the planned 3D target model (Digital Scene Matching Area Correlator, DSMAC). If it cannot, it defaults to the other navigation systems, or, if there is a high risk of collateral damage, it will steer to a pre-designated crash point instead of risking an inaccurate attack with undesired consequences.

As of 2010, Taurus Systems GmbH proposed an anti-ship variant.[14]

Export

Spain's military bought 45 missiles. Integration of the missile in Spanish Air Force service was certified by completing a dedicated test campaign in South Africa in May 2009.[15]

In 2013 South Korea planned to order 200 missiles to integrate with their F-15K Slam Eagles after being refused Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 JASSM by the United States.[16] The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed the deal in November 2013. Taurus Systems will open an office in Seoul to handle various acquisition tasks and support technology-transfer and joint development of the next cruise missile. The office was the company's first outside of Germany, and the KEPD 350 is the first European missile to be integrated onto a South Korean fighter aircraft.[17] In October 2016, South Korea announced it would acquire a further 90 missiles, in addition to the 170 previously ordered, in response to North Korean nuclear and missile provocations.[18] On 12 December 2016, the first 40 Taurus KEPD 350K missiles were delivered to the ROKAF,[19] which began deployment for combat use on 22 December 2016.[20]

In May 2023, the German Federal Ministry of Defence said that Ukraine had requested the missile, as part of Germany's package of support to Ukraine during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine.[21] In interviews in June and July 2023, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz and Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius said that Germany would not supply Ukraine with long-range missiles.[22][23][24] On August 8, 2023, Ukrainian Member of Parliament Yehor Cherniev claimed that a consensus had been reached within the Bundestag to allow export to Ukraine.[25]

Variants

A Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile at the ILA air show near Berlin in 2004.

KEPD 350K

Variant for the ROKAF, differs from the baseline model by being equipped with a Rockwell Collins GPS receiver with a Selective Availability Anti-Spoofing Module (SAASM) to prevent jamming.[26]

KEPD 350K-2

In October 2015, Taurus Systems revealed it was developing a smaller version of the Taurus missile, called the 350K-2, for use on light fighters, particularly the South Korean FA-50 variant of the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle. Range would be reduced to 400 km (250 mi) and it would have a cruise speed of Mach 0.6–0.9.[27]

In December 2016, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) revealed it plans to start development on its own indigenous long-range air-to-ground missile in 2018, based on the Taurus cruise missile. The weapon will be mounted on the KAI KF-21 Boramae fighter, to be developed by the mid-2020s.[28]

Operators

Map with KEPD 350 operators in blue

Current operators

 Germany
600 ordered for the German Air Force's Panavia Tornados at a cost of €570 million.[29] Deliveries ended in December 2010.[30][14]
 Spain
43 ordered for the Spanish Air Force's F/A-18 Hornets.[31] Deliveries ended in August 2010.[14] The program cost €60m.[32]
 South Korea
177 ordered in 2013, delivered in 2016–2017, 90 ordered in 2018, delivered in 2019–2020, and to be operated from the Republic of Korea Air Force's F-15K Slam Eagle fighter jets.[33][34]

See also

  • AGM-158 JASSM – American low observable air-launched cruise missile
  • HOPE/HOSBO – German, family of precision-guided glide bombs
  • KD-88 – Chinese anti-ship cruise missile
  • Ra'ad – Pakistani air-launched cruise missile
  • Ra'ad-II – Air-launched cruise missile
  • SOM (missile) – Turkish air-launched cruise missile
  • Storm Shadow – British/French air-launched cruise missile
  • YJ-22 – Chinese cruise missile
  • CJ-10 – Chinese cruise missile
  • Brahmos – Indo-Russian supersonic cruise missile
  • Wan Chien – Taiwanese air-launched cruise missile
  • Joint Strike Missile – Norwegian/American air-launched cruise missile
  • Fateh Mobin – Iranian short-range ballistic missile

Notes

  1. ↑ Target Adaptive Unitary and Dispenser Robotic Ubiquity System/Kinetic Energy Penetrator and Destroyer.

References

  1. ↑ "TAURUS KEPD 350E | Air Dominance".
  2. ↑ "TAURUS KEPD 350E - The Modular Stand-Off Missile System" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on July 29, 2020.
  3. ↑ Kepd 350 (PDF), DE: Taurus systems, archived from the original (PDF) on May 22, 2014.
  4. 1 2 "First Taurus Cruise Missiles for Korea". C4Defence. October 14, 2016. Archived from the original on July 15, 2017. Retrieved September 13, 2017.
  5. 1 2 Taurus KEPD 350 the modular stand-off missile for precision strike (PDF), MBDA Deutschland GmbH, archived from the original (PDF) on November 15, 2012
  6. 1 2 "Saab HX Update" (PDF). p. 47. Archived (PDF) from the original on August 6, 2021.
  7. ↑ "Taurus KEPD 350 Modular stand-off missile system". Saab. Retrieved May 27, 2015.
  8. ↑ "Abstandslenkflugkörpersystem: Erste Taurus an Südkorea übergeben". Archived from the original on September 13, 2017. Retrieved October 23, 2016.
  9. ↑ "Gripen Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft, Sweden". Airforce technology. Projects. Retrieved July 17, 2007.
  10. ↑ "EADS/Bofors TAURUS". web.archive.org. June 23, 2011. Retrieved January 18, 2024.
  11. ↑ "Kepd 350". DE: Taurus systems. Archived from the original on September 27, 2007. Retrieved September 3, 2007.
  12. ↑ TAURUS final (Motion picture). TAURUS systems GmbH. Archived from the original on July 29, 2020.
  13. ↑ "Kepd 350". Defence Update. Archived from the original on March 2, 2012. Retrieved May 6, 2008.
  14. 1 2 3 Hoyle, Craig. "Germany receives last Taurus cruise missile" Flight global, December 14, 2010. Retrieved December 14, 2010.
  15. ↑ "El Ejército del Aire incrementa su capacidad operativa con la integración del misil Taurus en el F-18". Ejercito del aire (in Spanish). ES: MDE. Archived from the original on December 23, 2009. Retrieved June 15, 2009.
  16. ↑ "S. Korea to buy bunker busting missiles from Europe". Reuters. April 4, 2013. Retrieved April 7, 2013.
  17. ↑ "Taurus Systems to open Seoul office this week", The Korea Times, May 11, 2014.
  18. ↑ South Korea plans to buy more Taurus missiles after North Korea's new nuclear test - Airrecognition.com, 4 October 2016
  19. ↑ First batch of 40 Taurus KEPD 350K cruise missiles arrived in South Korea - Airrecognition.com, 13 December 2016
  20. ↑ South Korea starts deploying Taurus cruise missile for combat use - Airrecognition.com, 22 December 2016
  21. ↑ Ukraine asks Germany to provide Taurus long-range missiles - Berlin - Reuters.com, 27 May 2023
  22. ↑ Germany denies Ukraine’s plea for Taurus missiles to help counter Russian air power - AlArabiya.net, 2 July, 2023
  23. ↑ Німеччина відмовляється надати ЗСУ далекобійні ракети Taurus Gazeta.ua, 25 June, 2023
  24. ↑ Через две недели ФРГ примет решение по истребителям Украине DW.com, 6 June, 2023
  25. ↑ Shcherbak, Alla. "Germany's parliament agrees to transfer Taurus long-range missiles to Ukraine – Ukrainian MP". The New Voice of Ukraine. Retrieved August 8, 2023.
  26. ↑ Jennings, Gareth (October 14, 2016). "South Korea begins receiving Taurus cruise missiles". Jane's Information Group. Retrieved December 13, 2016.
  27. ↑ South Korea plans to arm its FA-50 light combat fighters with new variant of the Taurus missile - Airrecognition.com, 23 October 2015
  28. ↑ South Korea plans to develop Taurus-based air-to-ground missile - Airrecognition.com, 14 December 2016
  29. ↑ "Taurus". EADS. Archived from the original on June 29, 2012. Retrieved September 11, 2007.
  30. ↑ "MBDA Delivers 600th TAURUS KEPD 350 to German Luftwaffe" (PDF). Archived (PDF) from the original on March 23, 2020.
  31. ↑ Principales programas (in Spanish), Spain: MDE, archived from the original on October 20, 2008.
  32. ↑ "Evaluación de los Programas Especiales de Armamento (PEAs), Ministerio de Defensa" (PDF). Atenea (in Spanish). Madrid: Grupo Atenea. September 2011. Archived from the original (PDF) on October 24, 2013. Retrieved September 30, 2012.
  33. ↑ "(LEAD) S. Korea buys more Taurus missiles amid N.K. nuke threats". South Korea: Yonhap. October 4, 2016. Retrieved October 4, 2016.
  34. ↑ Mizokami, Kyle (July 10, 2017). "This Is How South Korea Plans to Stop a Nuclear Attack from North Korea". The National Interest. Retrieved January 5, 2019.
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