UAE
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Taurus Systems GmbH, a joint venture between MBDA Deutschland and Saab Dynamics, is eyeing potential regional opportunities for its Taurus KEPD 350 air-launched long-range precision-strike missile.
In service on German Air Force Tornado IDS aircraft and Spanish Air Force EF-18 Hornets, Taurus has also been ordered for the Republic of Korea Air Force, where it is being integrated into the F-15K. Integration on the Eurofighter Typhoon has started for the air forces of Germany and Spain.
Able to strike at targets at ranges beyond 500km, the turbofan-powered Taurus KEPD 350E is designed to penetrate air defences by using a very low-level terrain-following flight profile. Navigation is executed by means of a ‘tri-tech’ system that combines an inertial navigation system with an image base, terrain-reference and GPS. Another key discriminator for KEPD 350E is the lethal package. This combines a 480kg Mephisto penetrator warhead with a programmable void-counting fuze.
Having achieved a first export sale outside Europe, and with integration into the F-15K well advanced, Taurus Systems is looking at potential integrations for other F-15 and F-18 users as requirements emerge.
“We are very much platform-oriented here,” said Christoffer Drevstad, Taurus Systems’ vice-president for business development. “Having already integrated the weapon, we can offer a low-risk integration.”
In the Gulf region, Saudi Arabia (F-15) and Kuwait (F-18) fall into this category, while Qatar is viewed as a potential future purchaser for the F-15. However, Drevstad insisted that Taurus would not be offered for Tornado or Typhoon. “We would have to go up against Storm Shadow, which is another MBDA product,” he said. “We will not do that.”
Taurus for F-15 [IDX15D4] - IHS Jane's 360
