Meet Taurus: Germany's powerful missile that can deliver heavy explosives..., has range of 300 miles, could arm Ukraine against Russia
Meet Taurus: Germany's powerful missile that can deliver heavy explosives..., has range of 300 miles, could arm Ukraine against Russia
Taurus Missile: Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy recently met Germany's newly appointed Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin and demanded Taurus missiles from Germany. This demand comes after Merz said a few days ago that Kiev's Western allies have lifted the range restrictions on their missiles and will allow Ukraine to use them to attack deep into Russian territory.
After Merz's statement, there is hope that Germany can give Taurus missiles to Ukraine, which has been a long-standing demand in Kiev. However, Merz promised Zelenskyy on Wednesday that Germany would help his country develop long-range missiles on its territory. He did not make any commitment regarding Taurus. Germany has been a major supporter of Ukraine and is its second-largest supplier of military aid after the United States.
However, notably, former Chancellor Olaf Scholz was reluctant to supply Taurus missiles to Kiev because he did not want Germany to be directly involved in the Ukraine war.
What are Taurus missiles?
The Taurus is a German-Swedish low-cruise missile that can accurately deliver heavy explosives to targets up to 500 km (300 miles) away. It was developed in 1998 through a joint partnership between German missile company MBDA Deutschland and Sweden's Saab Bofors Dynamics. A powerful warhead allows the missile to penetrate and inflict significant damage on deep or hard targets such as underground bunkers, communications facilities, ammunition storage warehouses and ships. The Taurus missile can travel long distances even without GPS support.
Germany currently provides Ukraine with short-range rockets, including the M142 HIMARS MLRS and MARS II MLRS. Western allies providing other weapons initially banned Ukraine from using its weapons inside Russia but allowed it to hit Russian targets within Ukraine. However, in November, former US President Biden lifted sanctions on US weapons, allowing Ukraine to use them in Russia's Kursk region. This came at a time when Kiev launched a surprise invasion of the region on its border.
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