As of: March 19, 2024, 7:58 a.m
By: Patrick Mayer
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A Belarusian military analyst warns Moscow about possible use of the Taurus by Ukraine.
But a Russian plane could help.
Schrobenhausen - Taurus means bull in Latin.
It is not uncommon in the German arms industry for weapon systems to be named after powerful animals.
Almost a tradition.
Taurus cruise missile: Russia reportedly has an antidote, according to Belarus
In addition to leopards, cheetahs and martens, the term Taurus has long been omnipresent in the Ukrainian war, as Kiev has been urgently asking its partner in Berlin since early summer 2023 to deliver the 5.1 meter long cruise missile that is hidden behind it.
Presumably in order to attack targets on the Crimean peninsula, which was annexed by Russia in violation of international law in 2014.
The Bundeswehr is said to have 600 of these 1.36-ton, high-precision giant rockets in its inventory.
The unit price is estimated at one million euros, but this includes a top speed of at least 740 km/h when approaching the destination.
But: Chancellor Olaf Scholz (SPD) refuses.
The German head of government simply does not want to hand over the coveted cruise missiles to Ukraine.
If so, Moscow supposedly has an antidote.
At least that's what a controversial source from Belarus now claims.
Controversial topic: The Taurus cruise missile, which (olive green) is attached here to a Eurofighter of the German Air Force.
(Symbolic photo) © IMAGO/ABACA
Taurus for Ukraine?
Military analyst leads Russia A-50 aircraft
Specifically: The Belarusian state news agency
BelTA
quotes Belarusian military analyst Alexander Alessin, according to which the Russian A-50 reconnaissance aircraft should be able to identify a Taurus in the air and determine its direction of flight.
“Russia deploys its flying A-50 radars.
There is information that some of them were lost.
But 10 to 15 of these systems are still in use, according to Russian experts.
They can detect Taurus missiles quite well and pass the data on to either air defense systems or fighter jets.
In this case, the fighter aircraft guided by flying radars can play a decisive role,” Alessin is quoted as saying.
Taurus |
|
Weapon type: |
Air-to-surface cruise missiles (fired by fighter jets) |
Manufacturer: |
Taurus Systems GmbH from Schrobenhausen in Upper Bavaria |
Unit price: |
estimated at one million euros |
Length / Diameter: |
5.1m/1.08m |
Combat weight: |
1360kg |
Range: |
500 kilometers |
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Russia's A-50 reconnaissance aircraft: antidote to the Taurus?
Caution is advised:
BelTA
is considered a propaganda agency of the autocratic regime of President Alexander Lukashenko in Minsk, which in turn is allied with the Kremlin regime of Russian autocrat Vladimir Putin.
And: The A-50s are not invulnerable.
According to Ukrainian information, the Russian air force lost 14 combat aircraft and one A-50U reconnaissance aircraft between February 17 and March 3, which cannot be independently verified.
The Su-35, the Su-34 or the Su-27 - which Russian fighter jet is supposedly capable of neutralizing cruise missiles like the Taurus, guided by an A-50, remains completely unexplained in the report.
Rather, the aim is to shoot down the Ukrainian MiG-29 fighter jets and the Ukrainian Su-24M front-line bombers before they can fire the Taurus.
The examples of the British Storm Shadows and the French Scalp-EG have impressively shown that the Ukrainians can modify their remaining fighter aircraft to use Western missile systems.
While Russian propagandists advised Putin to target targets in Germany in the event of a Taurus delivery, as of March 18, the Ukrainian air force
still had 40 operational combat aircraft, according to the widely cited
Global Firepower Index (GPI) .
Russian troops have to contend with Ukrainian attacks supported by Western cruise missiles, particularly in occupied Crimea.
Taurus cruise missile: Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects delivery to Ukraine
Just one example: On September 18th, the Ukrainian Air Force said it had damaged the submarine “Rostov-on-Don” and the landing ship “Minsk” in Crimea in a combined attack with British Storm Shadows and French Scalp-EGs, so much so that It is questionable whether they can ever be used again.
So far, the Russian S-300 anti-aircraft systems stationed on the peninsula have not been able to stop the Western cruise missiles.
Germany's Chancellor Olaf Scholz nevertheless rejects delivery of the Taurus, which is assembled in Schrobenhausen in Upper Bavaria, almost 40 kilometers northwest of Munich.
Scholz does this by pointing out that Bundeswehr soldiers supposedly have to help with target control.
However, the Bundeswehr has never confirmed this.
(pm)