Saab Awarded $159 Million Contract For German TAURUS Cruise Missile Modernization
Saab announced March 3 that it had received a contract for the modernization and maintenance for the German Air Force’s Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles through 2035.
According to the Swedish firm, the 1.7 billion Swedish krona ($159 million) contract will facilitate “significant system upgrades and modernisation to the German Air Force’s TAURUS missiles as well as a ten-year life cycle maintenance”.
The contract was issued by German prime contractor TAURUS Systems, a joint venture between MBDA Germany and Saab, following the signing of an initial contract by Germany’s defence procurement office (BAAINBw) with TAURUS Systems in December.
The December contract facilitates the “basic overhaul 2” of the German TAURUS inventory, estimated at around 600 missiles, with MBDA saying that the overhaul and upgrades will allow the cruise missiles to remain operational through 2045.
“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.
The stealthy TAURUS cruise missile is advertised as having a range of over 500 kilometers, with the ability to target both land and maritime targets.
The contract award to Saab also comes shortly after the Swedish military announced that it had approved the start of a program to procure and integrate the TAURUS onto the Swedish Air Force’s Gripen C fighters, as part of the continued modernization of the aircraft.
In a recap of its procurement activities in 2024, the Swedish military said the Defence Procurement Agency had begun negotiations with the German defense procurement office for the acquisition of TAURUS cruise missiles, with Saab also contracted to conduct time-critical integration studies.
Should the procurement proceed as planned, the first Gripen Cs to be capable of TAURUS use will be fielded in 2028, while integration on the Gripen E will take place at a later date.