Sweden Received Taurus Cruise Missiles from Bundeswehr Stockpiles
Sweden has received Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missiles from the German Armed Forces’ stockpiles to equip its own JAS 39 Gripen fighter jets.
The German publication Hartpunkt reported this, citing the Swedish newspaper Dagens Industri, to which the Swedish Defense Materiel Administration (FMV) confirmed receiving the missiles.
The missiles were procured from German stockpiles. It is currently unknown whether Sweden received only a limited number of missiles for testing and integration or a stockpile sufficient for full-scale combat deployment.
According to Hartpunkt, the original Taurus KEPD 350 version is no longer in production, so Sweden had to obtain missiles from other countries’ stockpiles for testing. In addition to Germany, which has these missiles in service, Spain and South Korea also operate them.
In August, the Swedish Air Force, in collaboration with Saab, conducted the first test launch of a Taurus cruise missile from a Gripen C fighter jet.
The tests took place on August 21 at the Vidsel test range in Norrbotten County. During the launch, the fighter jet also carried a full-scale mock-up of a second Taurus missile.
Plans to procure the Taurus from Germany were outlined in the official report of the Swedish Armed Forces for 2024.
The document called for procuring KEPD 350 missiles and integrating them onto Gripen C fighters as part of the MS20 Block 4 modernization program, with planned entry into service in 2028. In the next phase, the missiles are scheduled for integration onto the Gripen E.
In December 2025, it was announced that the Taurus integration program had been accelerated. At the time, Major General Jonas Wikman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force, stated that the operational readiness was expected earlier than the originally scheduled date of 2028.
In addition to purchasing existing missiles, Sweden is also preparing to participate in developing the next-generation Taurus Neo cruise missiles. In particular, further cooperation with Germany within the framework of this program is being discussed.
The Taurus KEPD 350 is a long-range, subsonic air-launched cruise missile developed by Taurus Systems GmbH—a joint venture between Germany’s MBDA Deutschland and Sweden’s Saab.
The missile weighs about 1,400 kg, carries a two-stage warhead weighing 481 kg, and is designed for high-precision strikes against protected and deeply buried targets at ranges exceeding 500 km.
Source: Defence Blog
