WOnce the Taurus has detached itself from its carrier aircraft, it lets itself fall down. Then the five meter long unmanned small jet aircraft hisses over the enemy lines at treetop height. Shortly before the end he climbs steeply again and then throws himself vertically towards his goal. Its 400-kilogram warhead can then penetrate meter-thick concrete. The Taurus cruise missile is therefore a threat to everything that appears to be particularly well protected: depots, command staffs, hangars, bridges.
The Bundeswehr has the Taurus in their arsenals, and two insiders have now told the FAS that Ukraine badly wants it. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy had already mentioned this to Chancellor Olaf Scholz during his visit to Berlin in early May. A spokesman for the Chancellor does not want to comment on this; however, the Federal Ministry of Defense confirms that Ukraine asked for the Taurus.
Germany is thus faced with a new debate. It just looked as if Berlin was off the hook when it came to arms aid to Ukraine. Most recently, it was all about aircraft deliveries, and above all about the American F-16. President Joe Biden has, after some hesitation, agreed to allow Ukrainian pilots to train on the machine, and several European NATO countries – Belgium, Denmark, Britain, Norway and Poland – are indicating they may follow suit. It’s only about training for now, but no one denies that delivering F-16s to Ukraine might be the next step.
It’s about protecting people
At first Germany seemed safe from new demands. The Air Force does not have any F-16s, and Defense Minister Boris Pistorius from the SPD was quick to say that there was not much that could be done about this initiative. With the Ukrainian request for the Taurus, however, the peace is over. The cruise missile from Germany would be an ideal complement for the F-16. It is not yet entirely clear how easy or difficult it would be technically to use it from machines of this type, but the CDU foreign policy expert Roderich Kiesewetter says that according to his information no “rocket science” is necessary here. The Federal Government is therefore faced with two questions. First, does it want to support the partners’ emerging combat aircraft alliance? Secondly, does it want to provide the Taurus for this?
Question one, the delivery of fighter jets, is getting more and more voices. The chancellor is still clouded, but Kiesewetter says that Germany should “actively support” the upcoming aircraft coalition. Some in the SPD also see it that way. For example, Michael Roth, the chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee, says Germany “could be part of an alliance to supply F-16s.” Even if the Air Force does not have this aircraft itself, one should ask the partners: “How can we help you?”
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