ATACMS, HIMARS, Storm Shadow, and now Taurus – Russia prepares for a new barrage of Western missiles скачать в хорошем качестве

ATACMS, HIMARS, Storm Shadow, and now Taurus – Russia prepares for a new barrage of Western missiles

Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Holubov believes that Ukraine will receive Taurus missiles from Germany during Friedrich Merz’s chancellorship. He shared this opinion on Espreso TV. “As for the Taurus, I can say that Merz’s position—at least up to the elections—was unambiguous: Taurus missiles should be supplied, especially if Russia continues its missile and drone attacks on Ukrainian infrastructure and peaceful Ukrainian cities in general. Accordingly, since the attacks are ongoing, the likelihood that the Taurus will be provided—even after Friedrich Merz officially becomes chancellor—is quite high,” he said. Oleksandr Holubov suggested that the only thing that could prevent this is peace negotiations. He noted that earlier, Russian dictator Vladimir Putin, during a conversation with U.S. President Donald Trump, demanded the cessation of Western aid to Ukraine. “The only thing, in my opinion, that could prevent this is peace talks—if Ukraine eventually agrees to Donald Trump’s proposal, although right now it’s very hard to say what exactly Trump’s proposal entails. But I can imagine a certain constellation under Russian pressure that would force Western partners not to supply certain types of weapons to Ukraine, at least during a ceasefire. I highly doubt that this will happen. And it’s unlikely to happen, so to speak, because of Friedrich Merz’s preferences. But if there are no peace negotiations that imply this kind of scenario, I’m very confident that the Taurus missiles will be delivered to Ukraine,” the analyst noted. The German Taurus is a 1.5-ton cruise missile with a turbofan engine propelling it to high subsonic speeds over a distance of around 300 miles under GPS and inertial guidance. Most importantly, it packs an 1,100-pound dual warhead with a smaller charge to blow a hole in the target and a bigger charge to explode the target from the inside. The missile’s high-tech features explain why the Ukrainian air force has been so desperate to get its hands on the Taurus. The Ukrainian air force would likely hang the Tauruses under the swinging wings of ex-Soviet Sukhoi Su-24 bombers that the British and French have already modified to carry Storm Shadows and SCALP-EGs, in part by salvaging old pylons from retired Royal Air Force Tornado bombers. Coincidentally, the German air force still flies a few dozen of the swing-wing Tornados—primarily as Taurus-launchers.