Taurus long-range missile production ready to commence upon new orders – MBDA
The Taurus long-range missile production can be resumed if a new order is received, the head of the German missile systems company MBDA, Tomas Gotschild, said in an interview with the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper published on March 30.
"The production lines, the control equipment, the assembly halls are still available. We can start production whenever we want. But we need a new order for weapons," he said.
Gotschild stressed the importance of long-term orders for the defense industry, as partner companies may refuse to produce components during periods without orders.
He declined to comment on discussions about the possible transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine, saying, "It is not within our competence to decide on the supply of missiles and their delivery to Ukraine. This is a political issue."
According to the publication, about 600 Taurus missiles were produced at MBDA's plant in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, Germany.
Earlier, Gottschild said that the German government should make faster decisions in the defense industry, otherwise production of long-range Taurus missiles could be suspended.
Taurus for Ukraine struggle: what is known?
Ukraine asks its partners to provide long-range weapons to be able to hit targets deep in the Russian-occupied territory. Some countries have already taken this step: in particular, the United Kingdom has provided Storm Shadow cruise missiles and France has provided their sister-missile SCALP. Germany, which has about 600 Taurus cruise missiles, is still hesitating.
Read also: Opposition leader: Scholz to eventually approve Taurus missile transfer to Ukraine
In September 2023, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius said that Berlin had not refused to transfer Taurus to Ukraine, but was not ready to do so now.
The reason for this could be Scholz's hesitation, as previously reported by the media, he expressed concerning that Kyiv might attack Russian territory. The head of the German government has also publicly expressed fears that providing Ukraine with Taurus missiles would allegedly lead to an escalation.
Ukraine multiple times stated that it will not use Western long-range missiles to strike Russian territory.
Read also: Berlin irritated with Kyiv’s requests to transfer long-range Taurus missiles - Kuleba
German parliament twice failed to support Scholz's call for the transfer of Taurus missiles to Ukraine. On Jan. 17, only 178 out of 666 MPs voted in favor of this decision. On Feb. 22, the Bundestag voted to supply Ukraine with "long-range weapons," but did not mention the Taurus.
Christian Freuding, head of the special staff for Ukraine at the German Ministry of Defense, said that long-range Taurus missiles could not turn the tide of the war in favor of the Ukrainian Armed Forces on Feb. 5.
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