**Ukraine has so far hoped in vain for Taurus cruise missiles. But now Germany is sending thousands of kamikaze drones with similar characteristics.**
Taurus cruise missiles have so far been a red rag for Olaf Scholz: the Green coalition partner sees things differently, but the government has not yet approved the delivery of the long-range weapons to Ukraine.
However, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had already announced the delivery of 4,000 so-called Strike drones in July. It has now emerged that the agreed HX-2 Karma model is similar to the Taurus in terms of its functionality and is apparently already being called the “Mini-Taurus” in the industry, reports the German newspaper “Bild”.
**“Mini-Taurus” to fly to its target autonomously**
After the announcement in July, it was initially unclear which drone model Germany wanted to supply to Ukraine. According to the report, these were developed by the German AI company Helsing. Like the Taurus cruise missile, they have software designed to make them resistant to Russian GPS jamming and other electronic warfare measures.
The drone looks at the area independently and recognizes where it is based on thousands of waymarks, a military insider told Bild. This helps “the operator to stay on course even in adverse weather conditions or in bombed-out areas”. Once the drone pilot has set his sights on the target, the drone flies there independently. This also works if the radio connection to the soldier is already disrupted.
In addition, the drone should approach its targets from the direction of the sun in order to ensure the shortest possible reaction time for the enemy. Another advantage: it is said to have up to four times the range of previous Ukrainian kamikaze drones and be equipped with enough explosives to destroy Russian tanks.
**Bundeswehr considers deployment**
However, the drone can also attack other targets. It could be used by “the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian high-value military targets, for example Russian command posts or logistical facilities”, according to Defense Minister Pistorius. The drone is said to be significantly cheaper than comparable models from the USA or Russia, which cost up to 100,000 euros.
The “Mini Taurus” has already been tested in Ukraine and has apparently been further developed there under real conditions. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in December and will involve several hundred units per month.
Pistorius reported that he had already inspected the drones during a visit to his counterpart Rustem Umjerow in May. There are currently further discussions about possibly using the drone for the German Armed Forces – the Taurus cruise missile is already in use.
**German Taurus delivery still questionable**
Even though Ukraine had repeatedly asked its Western partners for the delivery and permission to use long-range weapons on Russian territory, these efforts were unsuccessful for a long time. However, US President Joe Biden has now authorized the use of the weapons to defend the conquered territory in Kursk, Russia.
In spring, a t-online investigation revealed that the cruise missile control system is so complex that Germany would have to supply a specific system to process large and complex amounts of data. However, Germany apparently only has a small number of these, meaning that the delivery would create a security gap in its defense. This is said to have been a major reason for Chancellor Scholz’s opposition. Read more about this here. However, with a scaled-down function, the weapon could also be used without the system.
Following permission from the USA, other allies could also follow suit with the delivery of longer-range weapons. The Green candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, declared on ARD television on Sunday evening that he would supply Taurus as chancellor. The FDP and CDU/CSU have also been calling for this for some time. The Liberals wanted to put the issue to a vote in the Bundestag. However, the Greens had already signaled that they would not agree to a delivery without the consent of their coalition partner, the SPD.
However, it is not the Bundestag that decides on such a delivery anyway, but the Federal Government’s Security Council. And it is chaired by Chancellor Scholz. It is doubtful whether Scholz will change his mind on this issue.
pocket_eggs on
That’s not a mini-Taurus that is a Lancet+, hence how they plan to send 4000 of them. The claimed specs are pretty good for a loitering munition, though.
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*translation*
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**Ukraine has so far hoped in vain for Taurus cruise missiles. But now Germany is sending thousands of kamikaze drones with similar characteristics.**
Taurus cruise missiles have so far been a red rag for Olaf Scholz: the Green coalition partner sees things differently, but the government has not yet approved the delivery of the long-range weapons to Ukraine.
However, Defense Minister Boris Pistorius had already announced the delivery of 4,000 so-called Strike drones in July. It has now emerged that the agreed HX-2 Karma model is similar to the Taurus in terms of its functionality and is apparently already being called the “Mini-Taurus” in the industry, reports the German newspaper “Bild”.
**“Mini-Taurus” to fly to its target autonomously**
After the announcement in July, it was initially unclear which drone model Germany wanted to supply to Ukraine. According to the report, these were developed by the German AI company Helsing. Like the Taurus cruise missile, they have software designed to make them resistant to Russian GPS jamming and other electronic warfare measures.
The drone looks at the area independently and recognizes where it is based on thousands of waymarks, a military insider told Bild. This helps “the operator to stay on course even in adverse weather conditions or in bombed-out areas”. Once the drone pilot has set his sights on the target, the drone flies there independently. This also works if the radio connection to the soldier is already disrupted.
In addition, the drone should approach its targets from the direction of the sun in order to ensure the shortest possible reaction time for the enemy. Another advantage: it is said to have up to four times the range of previous Ukrainian kamikaze drones and be equipped with enough explosives to destroy Russian tanks.
**Bundeswehr considers deployment**
However, the drone can also attack other targets. It could be used by “the Ukrainian armed forces against Russian high-value military targets, for example Russian command posts or logistical facilities”, according to Defense Minister Pistorius. The drone is said to be significantly cheaper than comparable models from the USA or Russia, which cost up to 100,000 euros.
The “Mini Taurus” has already been tested in Ukraine and has apparently been further developed there under real conditions. Deliveries are scheduled to begin in December and will involve several hundred units per month.
Pistorius reported that he had already inspected the drones during a visit to his counterpart Rustem Umjerow in May. There are currently further discussions about possibly using the drone for the German Armed Forces – the Taurus cruise missile is already in use.
**German Taurus delivery still questionable**
Even though Ukraine had repeatedly asked its Western partners for the delivery and permission to use long-range weapons on Russian territory, these efforts were unsuccessful for a long time. However, US President Joe Biden has now authorized the use of the weapons to defend the conquered territory in Kursk, Russia.
In spring, a t-online investigation revealed that the cruise missile control system is so complex that Germany would have to supply a specific system to process large and complex amounts of data. However, Germany apparently only has a small number of these, meaning that the delivery would create a security gap in its defense. This is said to have been a major reason for Chancellor Scholz’s opposition. Read more about this here. However, with a scaled-down function, the weapon could also be used without the system.
Following permission from the USA, other allies could also follow suit with the delivery of longer-range weapons. The Green candidate for chancellor, Robert Habeck, declared on ARD television on Sunday evening that he would supply Taurus as chancellor. The FDP and CDU/CSU have also been calling for this for some time. The Liberals wanted to put the issue to a vote in the Bundestag. However, the Greens had already signaled that they would not agree to a delivery without the consent of their coalition partner, the SPD.
However, it is not the Bundestag that decides on such a delivery anyway, but the Federal Government’s Security Council. And it is chaired by Chancellor Scholz. It is doubtful whether Scholz will change his mind on this issue.
That’s not a mini-Taurus that is a Lancet+, hence how they plan to send 4000 of them. The claimed specs are pretty good for a loitering munition, though.