Saab has been awarded a contract for the maintenance and modernization of the TAURUS KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missile. The value of this order amounts to SEK 1.7 billion, with the contract spanning from 2025 to 2035.
The contract encompasses substantial enhancements and modernization of the TAURUS missiles utilized by the German Air Force, along with a decade-long maintenance plan. Saab has been awarded this contract by TAURUS Systems, the primary contractor in Germany, which is a collaborative effort between MBDA Germany and Saab. The original order was issued by Germany’s defence procurement agency (BAAINBw) to TAURUS Systems.
“TAURUS KEPD 350 enables the user to defeat targets at long ranges required for the most demanding air operations. The latest upgrades will provide the German Air Force with significant improvements,” says Görgen Johansson, Head of Saab’s business area Dynamics.
TAURUS KEPD 350 is a modular stand-off weapon system engineered for precision strikes on hardened and high-value targets. It is specifically designed to navigate through dense air defences by employing a very low-level terrain-following flight profile.
The system features a highly effective dual-stage warhead that offers exceptional penetration capabilities for high-value hard and deeply buried targets (HDBT), as well as blast fragmentation effects for area targets. It incorporates the world’s only programmable intelligent multi-purpose fuze, which allows for detonation of the penetrator at predetermined depths within the target structure, utilizing layer counting and void-sensing technologies.
Additionally, its distinctive navigation system employs an Inertial Navigation System (INS) continuously augmented by GPS, along with image-based and terrain reference sensors. This fail-safe design ensures that the system can adhere to its intended flight path even in the absence of continuous GPS signals.
