Saab has been awarded a Skr1.7bn ($161.16m) contract to deliver key system upgrades for the German Air Force’s TAURUS KEPD 350 air-launched cruise missiles.
The contract, which will extend from 2025 to 2035, was secured from TAURUS Systems, a joint venture between MBDA Germany and Saab, following an initial order by Germany's defence procurement office to TAURUS Systems.
The order also includes a ten-year life cycle maintenance plan. This initiative is set to maintain the system's functionality through 2045.
The modernisation efforts will ensure the missile remains a potent asset for penetrating fortified targets while aligning with the evolving requirements of contemporary armaments.
With this undertaking, Germany is bolstering its long-range strike capabilities. The TAURUS missile is integral to both the German Air Force and Nato operations, providing a means to neutralise adversarial air defences from a distance, thereby safeguarding aircraft and crew.
The TAURUS KEPD 350 can conduct precision strikes over a range exceeding 500km, targeting static and semi-stationary objectives such as bunkers, hardened and buried structures, and radar stations.
This missile system, classified as a Mobile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) Category II weapon, is designed to evade air defences by flying at very low levels, following the terrain.
Saab business area Dynamics head Görgen Johansson said: “TAURUS KEPD 350 enables the user to defeat targets at long ranges required for the most demanding air operations. The latest upgrades will provide the German Air Force with significant improvements.”
In February 2025, Saab won a contract worth around Skr250m from an undisclosed Nato member to supply its 9AIR command, control, communications, computers, and intelligence (C4I) system.
