Sweden test-fires Taurus cruise missile from Gripen fighter for first time

The Swedish air force has carried out its first test launch of a Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile from a Saab Gripen fighter. The service confirmed the launch took place on 21 August at the Vidsel Test Range in Norrbotten, using a specially configured Gripen-C test aircraft with the registration 39-6.

The Swedish air force says the Taurus missile gives it a new deep-strike capability. The weapon uses a low-level, terrain-following navigation system meant to help it evade dense air defences by flying close to the ground.

Taurus Systems, a joint venture between Saab and MBDA, builds the missile. Its manufacturer says the weapon has a range beyond 270 nautical miles, or roughly 500 kilometres, and carries a tandem warhead known as MEPHISTO, designed to penetrate hardened or buried targets.

Speaking in July, Swedish air force commander Major General Jonas Wikman told a reporter that integrating Taurus into the Gripen fleet was a high priority. He said the timeline for introducing the capability had been moved forward by more than a year, meaning it would become operational soon.

The test is a step in that integration process. The air force has not said when the missile will reach full operational status on the Gripen.