In the debate about Taurus cruise missiles for Ukraine, supporters argue that France, England and the USA have already delivered comparable ones. How the weapon systems differ and where they are similar:
The German Taurus, the French Scalp and the almost identical British Storm Shadow are cruise missiles launched from an aircraft such as the Eurofighter. Behind the weapons is the European arms company MBDA, in the case of Taurus a subsidiary of the German MBDA branch, among others. The American Atacms are rockets.
In comparison, the Taurus achieves twice the range
There are clear differences in the range of the cruise missiles, which also led to disputes with the Taurus. While the Scalp/Storm Shadow delivered can, according to the manufacturer, travel around 250 kilometers before detonation, the Taurus KEPD-350 can fly twice as far, around 500 kilometers. Pilots therefore do not have to enter enemy airspace to fire. With the Taurus, Russian territory and even Moscow could be considered as possible destinations.
For Markus Schiller, the range information is not set in stone. The rocket technology expert, who has been teaching long-range missiles at the Bundeswehr University since 2015, compares cruise missiles with unmanned aircraft. “The range could theoretically be increased with an additional tank,” explains Schiller when asked by the German Press Agency.
Flying low with two explosive charges on board
Like the German Taurus, which has a low altitude of less than 50 meters, the British and French models also move very low and are therefore said to be difficult to hit by enemy anti-aircraft defenses. All models also have two explosive charges. In the case of the Taurus, according to the Bundeswehr, “strongly hardened target structures” such as bunkers can be broken through when the impact hits. The Mephisto warhead system, which weighs 480 kilograms, is then supposed to explode there.
Expert: Taurus is superior in terms of aiming accuracy
As similar as the cruise missiles are, the Taurus can operate more accurately thanks to a more precise navigation system, explains Schiller. When attacking a hard target such as the weak point of a bunker or a bridge pillar, it makes a difference how precisely a target is hit, says the rocket technology expert. And the Taurus is superior with, in Schiller’s words, a “very good package on board”.
It remains unclear whether German soldiers would have to actively intervene if the Taurus were deployed in Ukraine. Russia recently published a recorded conversation between senior Bundeswehr officers in which they discussed Taurus operational scenarios if it were to be delivered to Ukraine. The officers came to the conclusion that the Ukrainians could handle cruise missiles on their own if they were trained long enough beforehand. It is clear that, according to media reports, Ukraine could also equip its Sukhoi Su-24 or Su-27 fighter aircraft with the Taurus, which costs around one million euros each.
Fast Atacms missiles are harder to target
Like the French and the British, the USA has also supplied similar weapons to Ukraine – namely Atacms missiles. After being launched from the ground, they fly a ballistic curve and are supposed to detonate again on the ground. Although they are considered difficult to intercept, they are not nearly as precise as cruise missiles.
According to Schiller, one reason is speed. Compared to cruise missiles, they are many times faster and reach more than three times the speed of sound (Mach 3). This high speed of around 3,700 km/h also makes it significantly more difficult to control the missile in a targeted manner compared to a Taurus weapon that is less than a third as fast. So far, the US has delivered Atacms with a throttled range of 165 kilometers. But Ukraine wants Atacms with a range of 300 kilometers.
Website of the manufacturer Data sheet from the manufacturer Bundeswehr on the Taurus system Bundeswehr Journal on test flights with Taurus MBDA on Storm Shadow/Scalp Lockheed Martin on ATACMS Sipri on Markus Schiller
