MBDA Confirms New TAURUS NEO Missile Enters Production Phase to Boost Germany Long-Range Strike.

MBDA Deutschland confirmed on January 7, 2026, that the TAURUS NEO precision strike missile has entered the series production preparation phase following the signing of a key contract with the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment. The agreement marks a decisive step toward strengthening Germany’s sovereign long-range strike capability through fully domestic missile production.

According to information published by the official X account of MBDA Deutschland on January 7, 2026, the new TAURUS NEO cruise missile program has entered series production preparation following a critical contract signed at the end of 2025 with the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw). The milestone formally transitions the upgraded cruise missile from development toward large-scale manufacturing entirely within Germany, reinforcing national control over one of the Bundeswehr’s most strategic strike capabilities.
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The TAURUS NEO is the newly upgraded version of Germany’s long-range air-launched cruise missile, featuring advanced navigation, improved electronic countermeasures, and enhanced deep-strike capability compared to the original Taurus KEPD 350. (Picture source: MBDA Germany)

The contract, awarded by the Federal Office of Bundeswehr Equipment, Information Technology and In-Service Support (BAAINBw), establishes the framework for full industrialization of TAURUS NEO. This includes manufacturing readiness, supply chain development, and the implementation of advanced quality assurance systems necessary for sustained high-rate production. The move follows a 2024 development contract that initiated design upgrades and capability enhancements across the TAURUS platform.

The new missile, known as TAURUS NEO (Next Enhanced Option), is a modernized and future-proof variant of the legacy TAURUS KEPD 350, jointly developed by MBDA Germany and Saab Dynamics. While the original TAURUS was introduced in the mid-2000s as a subsonic, terrain-following, long-range cruise missile with a range exceeding 500 kilometers, the NEO version introduces critical enhancements to ensure its relevance against increasingly sophisticated enemy air defenses and hardened strategic targets.

Technically, the TAURUS NEO represents a generational upgrade with several key improvements over the legacy model.

First, the missile features a fully redesigned navigation and guidance system, incorporating a digital architecture that combines updated inertial navigation with encrypted GPS and a more advanced Terrain Contour Matching (TERCOM) module. This allows for extremely accurate flight profiles in GPS-denied or jammed environments, a necessity in modern electronic warfare scenarios.

Second, survivability has been significantly improved. TAURUS NEO integrates a new electronic counter-countermeasures (ECCM) suite to help defeat integrated air defense systems. MBDA has introduced low-observable design refinements to reduce radar cross-section, making the missile more difficult to detect and intercept during its ingress phase.

Third, modularity and software flexibility are at the heart of the NEO design. The new software-defined mission architecture enables dynamic targeting updates, mid-flight reprogramming of attack profiles, and easier adaptation to future mission requirements or integration across multiple aircraft types. This marks a departure from the more rigid mission planning system used in the KEPD 350.

Fourth, although the missile retains the proven Mephisto dual-stage warhead, optimized for defeating deeply buried or fortified targets, the NEO variant benefits from refined fuzing options and updated penetration algorithms. These upgrades improve the ability to neutralize modern hardened command centers, WMD storage facilities, or underground infrastructure, in line with evolving NATO target sets.

Finally, integration flexibility has been greatly expanded. While the TAURUS KEPD 350 was certified only for platforms like the Tornado and Eurofighter Typhoon, TAURUS NEO has been engineered for broader cross-platform compatibility. It is expected to be integrated into Germany’s current Typhoon fleet and future unmanned systems under the FCAS (Future Combat Air System) program.

MBDA has confirmed that TAURUS NEO will be manufactured in large quantities in Germany, with production lines at the company’s main missile integration facility in Schrobenhausen, Bavaria, being expanded. This industrial expansion supports Germany's broader push for defense sovereignty and supply chain security, especially amid continued geopolitical instability in Eastern Europe.

Although the German Ministry of Defense has not confirmed total procurement numbers, defense sources suggest the Bundeswehr could order several hundred units over the coming decade, replacing and expanding upon the older TAURUS inventory. The shift toward domestic serial production also opens the door to potential exports to NATO and EU allies, although such sales would remain subject to strict political clearance.

In operational terms, TAURUS NEO represents far more than a missile upgrade. It constitutes a decisive leap in Germany’s long-range strike doctrine. With its enhanced deep-penetration capability, advanced countermeasures suite, and potential for multi-platform integration, the system is engineered to deliver strategic effects deep inside denied airspace, neutralizing high-value targets with minimal exposure risk to launch platforms. As serial production accelerates, TAURUS NEO is poised to become a critical component of NATO’s offensive strike portfolio, offering the alliance a stealth-capable, precision-guided standoff weapon designed to degrade enemy command infrastructure and air defense networks in the opening phase of high-intensity conflict.

Written by Alain Servaes – Chief Editor, Army Recognition Group
Alain Servaes is a former infantry non-commissioned officer and the founder of Army Recognition. With over 20 years in defense journalism, he provides expert analysis on military equipment, NATO operations, and the global defense industry.