Taurus Systems Korea Co., Ltd. in November 2020 said it would design a new variant of the Taurus cruise missile with a smaller design, but a longer range. This was said by Christoffer Drevstad, President of Taurus Systems Korea, which stated that the Taurus K2 (Taurus 350K-2) missile could later be launched from F-16 Fighting Falcon, FA-50 Eagle fighter jets and future fighter aircraft from South Korea and Indonesia, KF. -21 Boramae.
Citing a source from Yonhap News Agency – yna.co.kr (20/11/2020), Christoffer Drevstad said that the range of the new Taurus missile is targeted to reach more than 600 km.
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For information, the South Korean Air Force currently operates around 260 units of Taurus KEPD 350 missiles with a cruising range of 500 km. The Taurus KEPD 350 is currently being prepared by the South Korean Air Force as the ultimate weapon in the F-15K Eagle fighter jet.
In 2017, Taurus Systems Korea actually announced plans for the development of the Taurus K2, but at that time it was stated that the cruising range would be reduced to 400 km, due to the missile's dimensions being smaller than the Taurus KEPD 350.
By South Korea, Taurus missiles are specially prepared to carry out attacks on the heart of North Korean defenses, where the Taurus capabilities are focused on breaking into bunkers. "We intend to develop this missile in South Korea and are currently looking for a cooperation partner, so far several companies have expressed interest," Drevstad said.
The Taurus missile was originally designed by Taurus Systems GmbH, a joint venture between MBDA Deutschland GmbH and Saab Bofors Dynamics. Due to a special order from South Korea, Taurus Systems GmBH, headquartered in Germany, gave up making the Taurus production base in South Korea, and the company name became Taurus Systems Korea Co., Ltd.
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| Taurus on the wing of the F-15K |
High value points and area targets are characteristic of the features offered by Taurus. Objects such as underground bunkers, bridges, hanud missile launcher installations, to leaning warships can be bulldozed from a distance. The Taurus officially has a shooting range of 500 km, although some believe the actual range could be much longer.
Flying like a jet equipped with air intakes and folding wings, the Taurus with the Williams P8300-15 Turbofan engine can fly at speeds of Mach 0.80 – Mach 0.95. Drove at a low altitude plus traveling at a speed of almost Mach 1, making this cruise missile very difficult to knock down even a fast reaction canon.
From its weight which reaches 1,400 kg, inside is a Mephisto (Multi-Effect Penetrator, HIgh Sophisticated and Target Optimised) warhead with a weight of 480 kg. So far, the platform for the Taurus fighter jet is very limited, which can launch only the Panavia Tornado, Eurofighter Typhoon, Saab Gripen, Boeing F/A-18 Hornet and F-15K.
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