Germany has taken the first formal step toward large-scale production of an upgraded TAURUS stand-off missile, with the Bundeswehr and TAURUS Systems GmbH signing a contract to prepare a serial production line in the country.
TAURUS Systems GmbH is a joint venture between MBDA and Saab.
The agreement focuses on establishing manufacturing capacity for the capability-enhanced TAURUS NEO variant, which MBDA intends to build in quantity at a German facility. The system is positioned by the company as a core element of Berlin’s effort to restore long-range strike capacity at scale following years of limited munitions stockpiles.
Thomas Gottschild, MBDA Executive Group Director Strategy, said the programme reflects a broader industrial and strategic shift in Europe. “MBDA has always been committed to delivering decisive capabilities that ensure European sovereignty. With TAURUS NEO, Germany is specifically building up its state-of-the-art deep strike capabilities, thereby providing a critical contribution to the deterrence capabilities of Europe and NATO. In so doing, MBDA demonstrates its unique expertise in Europe, offering a comprehensive portfolio of deep strike solutions launched from the ground, air, surface, and sub-surface.”
According to the company, TAURUS NEO offers a range beyond 500 kilometres, low-observability features and guidance systems intended to defeat modern air defence networks. MBDA argues this allows German Air Force aircraft to strike fixed targets from outside the envelope of hostile surface-to-air systems, reducing risk to crews and platforms.
MBDA has already begun technology development under a maintenance and modernisation contract signed in late 2024. The firm says this early work is intended to accelerate first deliveries once production begins. The latest agreement also supports expansion of the missile’s modular architecture for future growth, according to the company.
The deal arrives as MBDA increases throughput across its portfolio. Between 2023 and 2025 the manufacturer expects to have doubled missile output and plans to invest EUR 2.4 billion from 2025 to 2029 to support higher production rates across Europe.
Should the UK have a policy of matching Germany’s arms build-up to keep pace with Europe’s richest country and to avoid a repeat of pre – WW1&2 mismatch, which almost destroyed us on both occasions?
I would suggest not,
Of all our major Allie’s Germany is probably on the closest page to us. German rearmament is the best thing to happen to Europe for some time and the biggest boost to UK security in a generation.
With Germany and Poland handling the eastern border we can focus on the North and west and remove any need to count on fair weather friends to our south or west both of which have their own agendas and are quite happy to screw us over when it suits them.