{"id":9685,"date":"2026-10-27T15:52:42","date_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:52:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/?p=9685"},"modified":"2026-10-27T15:52:49","modified_gmt":"2026-10-27T14:52:49","slug":"taurus-kepd-350-the-ukrainian-army-demonstrates-necessity-for-a-delivery","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/2026\/10\/27\/taurus-kepd-350-the-ukrainian-army-demonstrates-necessity-for-a-delivery\/","title":{"rendered":"Taurus KEPD-350: The Ukrainian Army demonstrates necessity for a delivery"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Although Friedrich Merz repeatedly called for the delivery of the Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missile during his time in the opposition and even threatened a 24-hour ultimatum, he has now refused for about a year and a half to back up his words with action. It is a rare flaw in the otherwise extensive and solid support for the current German Chancellor.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, the Ukrainian President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy, recently told<\/a> journalists that they were not giving up and were still hoping for a delivery.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, this does not appear to be an option for the German government. Cabinet members like Merz and Pistorius have repeatedly emphasised that they are supporting Ukraine in the development and production of its own weapons systems and that, as a result, the supply of the Taurus KEPD-350 is no longer necessary. But is that really the case?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The former is definitely a yes! Shortly after taking office, Merz announced, as part of a five-billion-euro package<\/a>, that Germany would, amongst other things, finance far-reaching weapons systems manufactured in Ukraine. This step had already been set in motion, at least in part, under his predecessor, Olaf Scholz.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Indeed, the announcement made by Chancellor Merz is bearing fruit. As recently as last year, the German government financed, amongst other things, more than 500 An-196 Liutyi long-range OWA UAVs. This year, the production of the Ukrainian Bars cruise missile, to name one example, has been established in Germany.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Bars
A Bars cruise missile drone hybrid | Image: Manufacturer<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The Ukrainian military regularly uses both weapons systems to attack military targets within the temporarily occupied territories and on Russian territory.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, just because Germany, under the leadership of Friedrich Merz, has become one of Ukraine\u2019s most important financial backers and supporters in the field of funding and producing Ukrainian drone systems and cruise missiles, this does not mean that a potential delivery of Taurus KEPD-350s would not nevertheless make a great deal of sense, both politically and militarily.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Quite the contrary. In recent days, the Ukrainian military has, not for the first time, demonstratively shown that the delivery of the long-awaited cruise missile remains not only desirable but urgently necessary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Just a few days after Bloomberg<\/em> reported<\/a> on an imminent British delivery of further Storm Shadow cruise missiles, the Ukrainian military appears to have used up a large proportion of the delivered cruise missiles almost immediately in a series of successive attacks.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 23rd of October, these cruise missiles were used in an attack on a factory belonging to Proton-Electrotex JSC in Oryol (Russia). This factory manufactures optoelectronic equipment required, for example, for the production of the Iskander-M ballistic missile. According to Ukrainian sources, the main production facility was destroyed and another building housing servers was damaged.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the 25th of October, a factory belonging to the company Energia JSC, located in Jelez (Russia), was attacked and, based on publicly available imagery, sustained at least severe damage. The factory is a key facility for the production of electronic equipment used in a wide variety of Russian weapon systems, such as glide bombs and ballistic missiles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\n
\n
Storm Shadow attack against Proton-Electrotex JSC | Video: Exilenova+<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n
\n
Storm Shadow attack against Energia JSC | Video: Exilenova+<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n\n\n

When analysing the two attacks, several aspects immediately stand out. Firstly, as expected, there appears to be an urgent need for action. Given the British government’s recent delivery, the Ukrainian army seems to be burning through modern cruise missiles such as the Storm Shadow practically in real time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The goal is clear: given the slow pace of deliveries of missiles for modern air defence systems such as the MIM-104 Patriot and NASAMS, the aim is to inflict significant damage on the Russian arms industry as quickly as possible, before the cold Ukrainian winter sets in, in order to hinder and halt the production of those weapon systems with which Russia terrorises the Ukrainian civilian population on a daily basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

On the other hand, however, it is also clear that, if it made sense to do so and if the Ukrainian army could achieve the necessary effect using its own weapon systems such as the FP-1 or the FP-5, it would be able to engage those facilities day and night without any difficulty.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

After all, the Ukrainian military has introduced a wide range of domestically produced weapon systems which, unlike the Storm Shadow, are highly available, whilst both of the most recent targets attacked are less than 350 kilometres from Kharkiv, which is under Ukrainian control, and are therefore within striking range of those Ukrainian weapon systems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

An FP-1 OWA UAV strikes a Wildberries warehouse
in the Moscow region | Video Exilenova+<\/a><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Ukraine has therefore demonstrated \u2013 and not for the first time \u2013 that modern Western cruise missiles such as the Storm Shadow or SCALP-EG are, at least currently, technologically superior to Ukraine\u2019s own developments, pose massive problems for Russian air defences, and that the Ukrainian military is therefore dependent on a continuous supply.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This is precisely where the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missile comes into play. Whilst a delivery from Bundeswehr stocks would, of course, provide the Ukrainian military with a short-term capability boost (a more effective warhead against hardened targets and a slightly increased range), the main goal is to maintain capability, which a delivery of 50 to 100 cruise missiles would guarantee, at least for the foreseeable future.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Whilst waiting for a new delivery of freshly manufactured Storm Shadow or SCALP-EG cruise missiles \u2013 there are even plans to set up a dedicated production line in Ukraine \u2013 Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missiles could be used as a stopgap.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would also enable Ukraine to maintain pressure on Russia and, in the longer term, disrupt or hamper the production of Russian weapons used daily in attacks on Ukrainian cities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training, availability & integration<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Nevertheless, alongside the fact that the Ukrainian defence industry has now developed its own highly functional weapon systems, the arguments regarding training, availability and integration \u2013 which are cited as reasons against such a delivery \u2013 are repeatedly raised. But these are only valid at first glance, as all these arguments can easily be refuted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Training<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

It is indeed true that the German-Swedish cruise missile cannot simply be delivered and deployed straight away. Ukrainian soldiers must undergo intensive, multiphase training on the system.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to an official estimate by the manufacturer, this is expected to take around three to four months. So if training for Ukrainian soldiers were to begin today, they would probably not complete it until the fifth anniversary of Russia\u2019s full-scale invasion of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, there will be no change to the length of the training period. The issue of the lengthy training period was already raised during the term of office of former Chancellor Olaf Scholz, but has also been reiterated on several occasions by the current Chancellor, Friedrich Merz. For example, in an interview<\/a> with maischberger published in July 2025.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Ultimately, one fact remains: if the German government had initiated the training one day after the interview was published, three full training courses would have been completed by now. The argument that the training takes longer is therefore true, but has no real basis.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Availability<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Next, the availability of the German Taurus stockpile is also highlighted. Depending on the source, \u201conly\u201d 150 to 300 of the approximately 600 cruise missiles in the Bundeswehr\u2019s stockpile are said to be actually operational.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This would limit the number of cruise missiles that Germany could potentially supply, as, on the one hand, a not inconsiderable proportion are not operational and, on the other hand, the Bundeswehr must maintain a strategic reserve.<\/p>\n\n\n

\n
\"Bundeswehr
A German PA-200 Tornado with mounted Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missiles | Image: Bundeswehr\/Adolfs<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<\/div>\n\n\n

However, there are also several arguments against this claim. As early as December 2024, a contract<\/a> was signed between the Bundeswehr and TAURUS Systems GmbH to ensure the maintenance and modernisation of the Taurus KEPD-350 in the Bundeswehr\u2019s inventory. According<\/a> to bundeswehr-journal<\/em>, work is said to have begun as early as last year. The number of available cruise missiles is therefore likely to have already increased.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

At the same time, steps were taken to procure additional systems, so that the Bundeswehr would be less reliant on the German-Swedish cruise missile. Amongst other things, a memorandum of understanding was signed for the procurement of US-manufactured Tomahawk cruise missiles, and the future production of an upgraded version of the Taurus, known as \u201cNEO\u201d, was initiated. At the same time, according to a report<\/a> by Politico Europe<\/em>, further options for a short-term capability increase have been under evaluation for months and are likely to take shape soon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Furthermore, even before the refurbishment of existing Taurus cruise missiles and the procurement of alternatives, the Bundeswehr had already determined that it would be able to supply them to Ukraine without any problems.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

During an intercepted and later in March 2024 through Russian channels published conversation between high-ranking members of the Bundeswehr (including the then Inspector of the German Air Force, Ingo Gerhartz), who were preparing for a presentation at the German Ministry of Defence, they concluded that the Bundeswehr could forgo 50 Taurus KEPD-350s and, if necessary, supply a further 50 \u2013 i.e. 100 cruise missiles in total.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The argument that there are too few cruise missiles ready for a potential future delivery can therefore be not considered valid.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Integration<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Finally, the issue of integration is also raised repeatedly. As things stand, the Ukrainian military does not have a native launch platform for the cruise missile and would need to overcome this hurdle before it can be deployed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

But this argument, too, can easily be refuted. Whilst it is true that a great deal of time will have to be invested in the necessary work, the integration process can be started in parallel with the training in order to save time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As things stand, the Ukrainian military could choose from three options: the Su-24, F-16 and Mirage 2000 fighter jets. The Su-24 had previously been selected as a platform for the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG. The latter can now also be deployed via the Mirage 2000 fighter jet.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG cruise missiles mounted and launched via Ukrainian Su-24 | Video: Command of the Air Force of Ukraine<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

The manufacturer estimates that the work on the Su-24 and the F-16 will take 6 months and 18 months respectively. This means that the integration of the cruise missile would not be completed until April 2027 at the earliest.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Another option would be the JAS 39 Gripen C\/D, which the Ukrainian Air Force is expected to take delivery of for the first time in early 2027. The Taurus KEPD-350 was only recently officially integrated<\/a>, independently of its delivery to the Armed Forces of Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

So there is no shortage of potential launch platforms, and as already mentioned in the section on \u201ctraining\u201d, the German-Swedish cruise missile could have been integrated into a Su-24 twice by now, or work on the F-16 would already be two-thirds complete.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

More pros than cons<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The fact is that, in recent days, Ukraine has once again demonstrated that a supply from Bundeswehr stocks would be sorely needed and would make a great deal of sense from a military perspective.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The cruise missiles are urgently needed to maintain pressure on the Russian defence industry more intensely and for longer, and to halt \u2013 at least temporarily \u2013 the production of drones, cruise missiles, ballistic missiles and glide bombs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As mentioned at the beginning, such a delivery would also make sense from a political point of view. The fact that Chancellor Merz has so far actively prevented it \u2013 or at least has not pushed it through \u2013 is proof that there are still red lines. If the delivery were to go ahead, it would make it crystal clear to Putin that German support now knows no bounds.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In conclusion, it can therefore be said that there are far more arguments in favour of the delivery than against it, and that, essentially, all publicly known arguments against the delivery can, on the whole, be refuted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There should therefore be nothing to stand in the way of a future delivery to Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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In the past days, Ukraine’s military struck two military targets within Russia with British-delivered Storm Shadow cruise missiles and has therefore demonstrated that a delivery of German-Swedish Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missiles would still be necessary.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":9695,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[331,299],"tags":[333,267,981,980,341,269],"class_list":["post-9685","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-bundeswehr","category-military-aid","tag-bundeswehr","tag-germany","tag-scalp-eg","tag-storm-shadow","tag-taurus-kepd-350","tag-ukraine"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=9685"}],"version-history":[{"count":91,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":9800,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/9685\/revisions\/9800"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/9695"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=9685"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=9685"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/deaidua.org\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=9685"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}