Germany May Get a New Cruise Missile: The Taurus Neo

Some speculation about technical details and capabilities.

At this point, the German-Swedish Taurus KEPD-350 cruise missile is probably one of the most well-known land-attack cruise missiles out there. This is of course thanks to German chancellor Olaf Scholz’s now infamous reluctance to provide the missile system to Ukraine.

Now it appears that the German Air Force might receive additional Taurus cruise missiles, and not just in the KEPD-350 version. According to reports from the German newspaper Der Spiegel, German Minister of Defense Boris Pistorius wants to procure an updated “Taurus Neo” cruise missile.

Importantly, keep in mind that while it makes perfect sense for Germany to acquire more air-launched cruise missiles, the necessary funding—2.1 billion euros for 600 missiles—has not yet been authorized, and the manufacturer has not been contracted to start production.

Additionally, the situation with Germany’s existing Taurus KEPD-350 missiles likely remains unresolved.

Of the original 600 missiles, only about 300 are currently believed to be operational, having received a midlife upgrade around 2018. While it was announced in March 2024 that the remaining 300 missiles would be modernized and recertified, there is still no confirmation that a contract has been awarded for this work.

As a result, the future of both Germany’s existing and planned Taurus missile fleet remains uncertain.

Taurus Neo wishlist

Nevertheless, it's worth engaging in some speculation about what a future Taurus-class cruise missile might look like—and perhaps more importantly, what it should look like.

Personally, beyond bringing existing components up to the latest standards, I have four key features on my wishlist for the Taurus Neo, should it come to fruition.

First, Germany’s next-generation air-launched cruise missile should have an extended range compared to the Taurus KEPD-350. The KEPD-350 has an official range of over 500 kilometers, with an unofficial estimate of 700–800 kilometers. The Taurus Neo should aim for a range of at least 1,000 kilometers, similar to the American JASSM-ER.

Second, Taurus Neo should incorporate a weapons datalink. Ideally, this link would be bi-directional, enabling the missile to both receive and send data to an operator. This would allow the operator to retarget the missile mid-flight, either to adjust for changes in the target’s location or to assign a newly emerged, higher-priority target. This capability would also allow the Taurus Neo to serve as a longer-range anti-ship missile, adding flexibility.

Third, Taurus Neo should place greater emphasis on low-observability features, particularly a reduced radar cross-section, especially from the front. The somewhat clunky design of the Taurus fuselage is likely its weakest aspect compared to JASSM. Interestingly, South Korean researchers have published a paper on this topic, exploring ways to improve the design of the fuselage’s frontal section.

Fourth, I hope that the Taurus Neo adopts a somewhat simpler system architecture compared to the Taurus KEPD-350. The Taurus KEPD-350 is relatively unique among comparable air-launched cruise missiles in terms of system complexity and is arguably over-engineered in several areas. Reducing complexity could lead to faster delivery times, a more resilient supply chain, and a lower price—benefits that, in my opinion, outweigh the potential loss of some capability and redundancy.

What we know

Unsurprisingly, we know very little about the Taurus Neo, as the project still appears to be in the conceptual stage.

According to Der Spiegel, 600 Taurus Neo missiles would cost German taxpayers 2.1 billion euros, translating to about 3.5 million euros per missile. However, it's important to note that this per-unit cost likely includes industry support, including training and maintenance. The actual cost of the missile is probably closer to 1.75-2 million euros.

This price is not cheap and is certainly more expensive than that of JASSM. Recent offers from Lockheed Martin have priced the missile at around 2-2.2 million USD per unit, including industry support.

That said, because a significant portion of the Taurus production process is based in Germany—meaning a substantial share of the costs flow back to the government in the form of tax revenue—the effective price might be roughly comparable, if not slightly lower, for Taurus Neo. However, the 3 million-plus price tag does raise questions about the missile's competitiveness on the international market.

Lastly, Der Spiegel reported that the first deliveries of Taurus Neo could be expected to begin in 2029. This timeline is far from ideal, especially considering the urgent need to bolster missile capabilities in Germany and Europe.

For Germany, a stop-gap measure in the form of additional Taurus KEPD-350s would have been ideal, and if an order had been placed in early to mid-2022, the German Air Force would likely be receiving their first systems around now. The government’s failure to do so stands, in my view, as one of the most significant missteps of the failed Zeitenwende.

Nonetheless, it is encouraging to see that the German Minister of Defense is at least interested in acquiring these critical missile capabilities and maintaining a cruise missile manufacturing capacity in Germany. The next step will require 350 million euros in the 2025 defense budget to kick off the procurement project. Let’s see if that happens—I’ll provide updates as they come.