German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius aims to buy 600 more Taurus cruise missiles, as Ukraine continues to urge the Berlin government to provide this long-range weapon, according to Spiegel on October 25.
German Air Force Eurofighter equipped with Taurus long-range cruise missile (moss green)
Up to now, the German army owns about 600 Taurus cruise missiles with a range of more than 500 km and is equipped for fighter jets such as Eurofighter, Tornado, F-15 or F-18.
The missile, manufactured by European military contractor MBDA, is designed to destroy high-value targets deep inside enemy territory such as command bunkers, ammunition depots, fuel depots, airfields and ports.
Despite pressure from Ukraine, German Chancellor Olaf Scholz repeatedly rejected requests for Taurus missile aid because of concerns that Kyiv could use weapons provided by Berlin to attack targets on Russian territory.
Minister Pistorius now wants to buy the more advanced version, the Taurus Neo, with the total value of the deal being around 2.1 billion euros for 600 missiles and the first deliveries scheduled for 2029, according to Spiegel .
However, Mr Pistorius is still seeking funding for the plan, with €350 million needed by 2025 to kick-start the project.
The German Ministry of Defense has not commented on the above information.
Britain and France have each provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles (called Scalp by France) to Ukraine, and the Kyiv government's military said it has modified Soviet-era fighter jets to mount them.
Russia warned Germany that delivering long-range missiles to Kyiv would lead to serious consequences, and push the war in Ukraine into a new spiral of conflict.
Source: https://thanhnien.vn/duc-muon-mua-them-600-ten-lua-hanh-trinh-tam-xa-taurus-185241025193345281.htm
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