Ukraine appears poised to receive Germany’s sophisticated Taurus cruise missiles for its aging Soviet-era aircraft, potentially expanding its ability to strike deep inside Russian territory, Forbes reports.

The German Taurus is a formidable weapon system—a 1.5-ton cruise missile with a turbofan engine capable of traveling approximately 300 miles at high subsonic speeds under GPS and inertial guidance. Its 1,100-pound dual warhead system is particularly effective, designed first to penetrate a target and then destroy it from within.

“The missile’s high-tech features explain why the Ukrainian air force has been so desperate to get its hands on the Taurus,” writes Forbes war correspondent David Axe.

Chancellor Olaf Scholz has consistently blocked the transfer, citing concerns about escalation through strikes deep in Russian territory. However, political shifts in Germany have changed the outlook. Scholz’s party placed third in recent elections, and the incoming conservative Chancellor Friedrich Merz has previously supported providing the missiles to Ukraine.

Germany could provide approximately 100 of its 600 Taurus missiles without compromising its own defense capabilities. This would represent a significant addition to Ukraine’s arsenal, potentially increasing its cruise missile inventory by a third beyond the Storm Shadow and SCALP-EG missiles already provided by France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

The Ukrainian air force would likely mount these missiles on their Sukhoi Su-24 bombers, which have already been modified to carry Western missiles using pylons salvaged from retired British Tornado bombers. Coincidentally, the German Air Force still operates several dozen Tornados primarily as Taurus launchers.

“Better late than never, of course,” Axe notes regarding the timing of the potential transfer, which depends less on technical challenges and more on German politics.

Merz must first complete government formation negotiations with the social democrats before having the political capital to approve such a sensitive weapons transfer, a process that “could take weeks if not months,” potentially delaying delivery until “late spring or early summer.”

For Ukraine, these missiles could arrive at a critical moment as their supply of other Western cruise missiles dwindles, enabling continued strikes against hardened Russian targets such as “thickly-built depots, buried command posts, and warships tied up pier-side.”

Read more:

• No Tauruses for Ukraine, says Scholz
• Scholz’s rival Merz hints at giving Tauruses to Kyiv
• New Taurus missile proposal for Ukraine will be set for Bundestag vote