Taurus KEPD-350 | |
---|---|
Type | Air-launched cruise missile, Land-attack missile, Anti-ship missile |
Place of origin | Germany and Sweden |
Service history | |
In service | Since 2006 |
Used by | Germany, South Korea, Spain |
Production history | |
Designer | Taurus Systems GmbH |
Designed | 1995–2005 |
Manufacturer | Taurus Systems GmbH |
Produced | Since 2005 |
Variants |
|
Specifications (KEPD 350) | |
Mass | 1,400 kg (3,100 lb) |
Length | 5.1 m (16 ft 9 in) |
Width | 1,080 mm (3 ft 7 in) |
Height | 805 mm (2 ft 7.7 in) |
Wingspan | 2.06 m (6 ft 9 in) |
Warhead | Two‐stage tandem MEPHISTO penetrator |
Warhead weight | 480 kg (1,060 lb) |
Engine | Williams P8300‐15 turbofan 680.4 kgf (6,672 N; 1,500 lbf) thrust |
Operational range | > 500 km (270 nmi; 310 mi) |
Maximum speed | Mach .95 (323 m/s; 1,060 ft/s) |
Guidance system | INS, GPS, image-based navigation (IBN), RADALT |
Steering system | Four tailfins |
Launch platform | Panavia PA-200 Tornado IDS, Saab JAS-39C Gripen, McDonnell Douglas F-15K Slam Eagle, McDonnell Douglas F/A-18A+ Hornet, Eurofighter Typhoon EF-2000 |
References | Janes [1] |
The Taurus KEPD-350 [lower-alpha 1] is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems and used by Germany, Spain, and South Korea. [2] Taurus Systems GmbH is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH (formerly LFK) and Saab Bofors Dynamics. [3]
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). [4]
The name is Latin for “bull”. First used as an inofficial project name, it was inspired by the cow catapult from Monty Python and the Holy Grail.[ citation needed ]
In February 2024, there was a discussion among German Air Force officers as to how the system could be delivered to Ukraine to target the Crimean Bridge. Four officers prepared a briefing for Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the topic at an online meeting. The conversation was conducted via webex. [5] A Russian intelligence service, media suspect the GRU, is reported to have intercepted the conversation and published it on the state controlled channel RT-Deutsch. An English translation of the transcript of the conversation was later posted online, though like various news reports it contains a number of errors. [6]
The leak was followed by a public debate about countering Russian espionage in Germany. MAD started investigations. [7] [8]
The missile incorporates stealth technology and has an official range in excess of 500 km (300 mi). [9] It is powered by a turbofan engine. It can operate at Mach 0.95 and can be carried by Panavia PA-200 Tornado IDS, Eurofighter Typhoon EF-2000, Saab JAS-39C Gripen, McDonnell Douglas EF-18A+ Hornet, and McDonnell Douglas F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft.[ citation needed ]
The dual stage 480-kilogram (1,100 lb) warhead, called MEPHISTO (multi-effect penetrator highly sophisticated and target optimised), [10] 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. [11]
The missile includes countermeasures as a self-defence mechanism and electronic countermeasures.[ citation needed ]
Mission planners program the missile with the target, air defence locations and planned ground path. The missile uses a 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 target. It is capable of navigating over long distances without GPS support. [12] [13]
Upon arrival the missile commences a bunt (climb) manoeuvre to achieve the best probability of target acquisition and penetration. During the cruise portion of the flight, a high resolution thermographic camera (infrared homing) can support navigation by using IBN and 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, to avoid collateral damage, it steers to a pre-designated crash point instead of risking an inaccurate attack.[ citation needed ]
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. [14]
In 2013 South Korea planned to order 200 missiles to integrate with their F-15K Slam Eagles after it was prevented from acquiring Lockheed Martin's AGM-158 JASSM by the United States. [15] The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) signed the deal in November 2013. The KEPD 350 was the first European missile to be integrated onto a South Korean fighter. [16] 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. [17] On 12 December 2016, the first 40 Taurus KEPD 350K missiles were delivered to the ROKAF. [18] [19]
In May 2023, the German Federal Ministry of Defence said that Ukraine had requested the missile during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. [20] 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. [21] [22] [23] In January 2024, the German Bundestag voted against the supply of the Taurus missile to Ukraine. [24] In February 2024, the German Bundestag and Chancellor Olaf Scholz again expressly refused Ukraine's request while agreeing to deliver longer range weapons. [25] [26]
The 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. [27]
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 Block 20 variant of the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle. [28] It is shorter at 4.5 m (15 ft) in length and lighter, weighing 907 kg (2,000 lb) while matching speed and range. [29]
In December 2016, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) announced plans to start development on a long-range air-to-ground missile in 2018, based on Taurus. The weapon was to be mounted on the KAI KF-21 Boramae fighter, to be developed by the mid-2020s. [30]
A cruise missile is an unmanned self-propelled guided vehicle that sustains flight through aerodynamic lift for most of its flight path and whose primary mission is to place an ordnance or special payload on a target. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhead over long distances with high precision. Modern cruise missiles are capable of traveling at high subsonic, supersonic, or hypersonic speeds, are self-navigating, and are able to fly on a non-ballistic, extremely low-altitude trajectory.
The Eurofighter Typhoon is a European multinational twin-engine, supersonic, canard delta wing, multirole fighter. The Typhoon was designed originally as an air-superiority fighter and is manufactured by a consortium of Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo that conducts the majority of the project through a joint holding company, Eurofighter Jagdflugzeug GmbH. The NATO Eurofighter and Tornado Management Agency, representing the UK, Germany, Italy and Spain, manages the project and is the prime customer.
MBDA is a European multinational developer and manufacturer of missiles. It was created in December 2001 after the merger of the main French, British and Italian missile systems companies; Matra, BAe Dynamics and Alenia. These were previously the missile subsidiaries of Aérospatiale-Matra, BAE Systems and Finmeccanica. The company's headquarters are located in Le Plessis-Robinson, France.
The Meteor is a European active radar guided beyond-visual-range air-to-air missile (BVRAAM) developed and manufactured by MBDA. It offers a multi-shot capability, and has the ability to engage highly maneuverable targets such as jet aircraft, and small targets such as UAVs and cruise missiles in a heavy electronic countermeasures (ECM) environment with a range far in excess of 200 kilometres (110 nmi).
The Storm Shadow is a Franco-British low-observable, long-range air-launched cruise missile developed since 1994 by Matra and British Aerospace, and now manufactured by MBDA. "Storm Shadow" is the weapon's British name; in France it is called SCALP-EG. The missile is based on the French-developed Apache anti-runway cruise missile, but differs in that it carries a unitary warhead instead of cluster munitions.
The IRIS-T is a medium range infrared homing air-to-air missile available in both air-to-air and ground defence surface-to-air variants. It also is called AIM-2000.
The Aster 15 and Aster 30 are a Franco-Italian family of all-weather, vertical launch surface-to-air missiles. The name "Aster" stands for "Aérospatiale Terminale", with French company Aérospatiale having been the project's lead contractor before its missile activities were merged into MBDA. It also takes inspiration from the word "aster", meaning "star" in Ancient Greek. The missiles as well as the related weapon systems are manufactured by Eurosam, a consortium consisting of MBDA France, MBDA Italy and Thales, each holding a 33.3% share.
Brimstone is a ground or air-launched ground attack missile developed by MBDA UK for the UK's Royal Air Force. It was originally intended for "fire-and-forget" use against mass formations of enemy armour, using a millimetre wave (mmW) active radar homing seeker to ensure accuracy even against moving targets. Experience in Afghanistan led to the addition of laser guidance in the dual-mode Brimstone missile, allowing a "spotter" to pick out specific and the highest priority targets, particularly useful to minimise collateral damage when friendly forces or civilians were in the area. The tandem shaped-charge warhead is much more effective against modern tanks than older similar weapons such as the AGM-65G Maverick missile. Three Brimstones are carried on a launcher that occupies a single weapon station, allowing a single aircraft to carry many missiles.
An air-to-surface missile (ASM) or air-to-ground missile (AGM) is a missile designed to be launched from military aircraft at targets on land or sea. There are also unpowered guided glide bombs not considered missiles. The two most common propulsion systems for air-to-surface missiles are rocket motors, usually with shorter range, and slower, longer-range jet engines. Some Soviet-designed air-to-surface missiles are powered by ramjets, giving them both long range and high speed.
MBDA Deutschland GmbH is a German missile systems company. Together with its 100% subsidiaries Bayern-Chemie and TDW and various Joint Ventures, it forms MBDA Germany. The company is a legally independent 100% subsidiary of MBDA which belongs to Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo. In addition to the headquarters in Schrobenhausen, the company has sites in Ulm and Aschau am Inn.
The AGM-158 JASSM is a low detection standoff air-launched cruise missile developed by Lockheed Martin for the United States Armed Forces. It is a large, stealthy long-range weapon with a 1,000-pound (450 kg) armor piercing warhead. It completed testing and entered service with the U.S. Air Force in 2009, and has entered foreign service in Australia, Finland, and Poland as of 2014. An extended range version of the missile, the AGM-158B JASSM-ER, entered service in 2014 as well as an anti-ship derivative, the AGM-158C LRASM, in 2018. By September 2016, Lockheed Martin had delivered 2,000 total JASSMs comprising both variants to the USAF.
Terrain contour matching, or TERCOM, is a navigation system used primarily by cruise missiles. It uses a contour map of the terrain that is compared with measurements made during flight by an on-board radar altimeter. A TERCOM system considerably increases the accuracy of a missile compared with inertial navigation systems (INS). The increased accuracy allows a TERCOM-equipped missile to fly closer to obstacles and at generally lower altitudes, making it harder to detect by ground radar.
This is the timeline of the development of the Eurofighter Typhoon, a multirole fighter aircraft manufactured by a consortium of European aerospace manufacturers, Eurofighter GmbH, formed in 1983.
TDW is a European company that develops and manufactures warheads for guided weapons. The company was founded in 1994 and has 130 employees based in Schrobenhausen, Germany. TDW is a 100% subsidiary of MBDA Deutschland GmbH and part of the European guided weapon group MBDA.
The KAI KF-21 Boramae is a South Korean-led fighter aircraft development program with the goal of producing an advanced multirole fighter for the South Korean and Indonesian air forces. The airframe is stealthier than any fourth-generation fighter, but at present, it does not have internal bays like fifth-generation fighters. Internal bays may be introduced later in development.
The Wan Chien is an air to ground cruise missile developed and produced by the National Chung-Shan Institute of Science and Technology (NCSIST) of Taiwan.
An air-launched cruise missile (ALCM) is a cruise missile that is launched from a military aircraft. Current versions are typically standoff weapons which are used to attack predetermined land targets with conventional, nuclear or thermonuclear payloads.
The German Taurus leak was a military communications leak in 2024 that resulted from Russia's interception of a supposedly top-secret webconference of German airforce officials about the possible supply of German Taurus cruise missiles to Ukraine and about operational scenarios in the Russian-Ukrainian War.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)