The United Kingdom and Germany have officially launched a joint effort to develop a new long-range missile system called the “super-Taurus,” which is expected to have a flight range of up to 2,000 kilometers, reports Baltimore Chronicle with reference to The Telegraph.
According to the outlet, the two governments have reached an agreement to design and produce the missile within the next ten years or so. Currently, Germany possesses approximately 600 Taurus missiles with a range of up to 500 km. These are considered among the most powerful weapons in the country’s arsenal. However, the issue of transferring them to Ukraine has sparked prolonged political debate, with both Chancellor Friedrich Merz’s government and the previous administration under Olaf Scholz refusing to supply the missiles to Kyiv. Potential targets previously mentioned include the Crimean Bridge and other critical infrastructure.
On July 17, Chancellor Friedrich Merz and UK Prime Minister Keir Starmer signed a strategic agreement that includes provisions for mutual defense support and a roadmap for defense-related industrial cooperation. According to the report, this will be the most comprehensive bilateral defense pact between the two countries since 1945.
Although both the UK and Germany are already bound by NATO Article 5 to defend one another, the new agreement aims to reinforce this partnership on a bilateral level. British officials describe the pact as part of a growing “triangular” alliance between the UK, Germany, and France in response to increasing threats posed by Russia.
Earlier we wrote that Germany eyes purchase of U.S. Typhon missile systems.