Taurus KEPD 350
The Taurus KEPD-350 is a German-Swedish air-launched cruise missile, manufactured by Taurus Systems and used by Germany, Spain, and South Korea. Taurus Systems GmbH is a partnership between MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Saab Bofors Dynamics.
History
During the Cold War, Germany had unsuccessful plans to buy French Apache missiles. In 1998, Germany funded the development of a powered system to be designated KEPD-350 with the acronym TAURUS.Overview
The missile incorporates stealth technology and has an official range in excess of. It is powered by a turbofan engine. It can operate at Mach 0.95 and can be carried by Panavia PA-200 Tornado IDS, McDonnell Douglas EF-18A+ Hornet, and McDonnell Douglas F-15K Slam Eagle aircraft.The dual stage warhead, called MEPHISTO, features a precharge and initial penetrating charge to clear soil or enter "hard and deeply buried targets" such as hardened underground bunkers, then a variable delay fuze to control detonation of the main warhead. The missile weighs about and has a maximum body diameter of. 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.
Operation
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, image based navigation, terrain referenced navigation, and Global Positioning System to the target. It is capable of navigating over long distances without GPS support.Upon arrival the missile commences a climb followed by a bunt manoeuvre to achieve the best probability of target acquisition and penetration. During the cruise portion of the flight, a high resolution thermographic camera 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. 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.
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.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. The Defense Acquisition Program Administration signed the deal in November 2013. The KEPD 350 was the first European missile to be integrated onto a South Korean fighter. 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. On 12 December 2016, the first 40 Taurus KEPD 350K missiles were delivered to the ROKAF.
In May 2023, the German Federal Ministry of Defence said that Ukraine had requested the missile during the ongoing Russian invasion of Ukraine. 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. In January 2024, the German Bundestag voted against the supply of the Taurus missile to Ukraine. In February 2024, the German Bundestag and Chancellor Olaf Scholz again expressly refused Ukraine's request while agreeing to deliver longer range weapons. In May 2025, newly elected chancellor Friedrich Merz made more ambiguous statements regarding Taurus, that their delivery to Ukraine was within the 'realm of possibility' and that the discussion about their delivery to Ukraine would not be public.
Taurus leak
In February 2024, there was a discussion among Luftwaffe officers as to how the system could be delivered to Ukraine to target the Crimean Bridge. The Inspector of the Air Force, Generalleutnant Ingo Gerhartz, and three other high-ranking officers prepared a briefing for Chancellor Olaf Scholz on the topic at an online meeting. The conversation was conducted via Webex.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.
The leak was followed by a public debate about countering Russian espionage in Germany. MAD started investigations.
Variants
KEPD 350K
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 to prevent jamming.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 Block 20 variant of the KAI T-50 Golden Eagle. It is shorter at in length and lighter, weighing while matching speed and range.In December 2016, South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration 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.
Taurus Neo
On 27 October 2024, Boris Pistorius announced a next generation Taurus missile called the Taurus Neo. With plans to purchase 600 units costing some €2.1 billion with deliveries starting in 2029. The Taurus Neo will include a range over 500 kms, a more powerful warhead and better guidance. 300 million euros would be required in 2025 to start the program.The programme was approved in December 2025. And the contract for the development of the new standard was also signed.