Sweden receives Taurus cruise missiles from German army stocks, quantity classified

Weapon testing on Swedish fighters

In late August 2026, the Swedish Armed Forces conducted tests during which a Taurus cruise missile was launched from a Gripen C fighter jet. This weapon was developed by Taurus Systems GmbH, a joint venture between MBDA Deutschland and Saab.

The Swedish Air Force released a 14-second video capturing the moment the Taurus missile was deployed from an aerial platform.

Origin of the missiles remains a subject of debate

Markings on the launched missile indicated the presence of a warhead. This led experts to speculate about the exact origin of the weapon used during the tests. Since the original version of the Taurus is no longer in production, commentators assume that Sweden likely received these missiles from the stocks of another country.

In addition to Germany, Taurus cruise missiles are also in the service of Spain and South Korea. The exact number of missiles provided to Sweden remains classified.

Integration prospects and procurement history

It is currently unknown whether the Swedish forces received only the number of Taurus missiles necessary for integration work, or if a volume sufficient for full operational use was transferred. It is worth noting that using these missiles also requires a mission planning system that allows relevant geospatial data to be loaded into the missile before launch.

According to open data, between 2005 and 2010, the German Armed Forces purchased a total of 600 Taurus missiles to equip their Tornado fighter jets. Since then, a number of test launches have been conducted using this weapon system. The cruise missile is expected to remain in the service of the German Air Force until the mid-2040s.