EADS/LFK presents Taurus product family in Le Bourget
* Fighter aircraft, transport aircraft, ships and trucks could all be equipped with tailor-made solutions of the Taurus product family
* Modular system architecture simplifies retrofitting and creates enormous synergy potential
Le Bourget, 13 June 2005
EADS/LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme GmbH is presenting the Taurus product family to the general public for the first time at the Paris Air Show. The various derivatives of the stand-off guided missile system are capable of interservice deployment in a broad bandwidth of joint-service and operation-specific applications. They offer greater range, high precision and economy combined with unsurpassed power against a wide range of targets.
"Our baseline system, Taurus KEPD 350, already offers a variety of deployment options that is hitherto unknown," said Dr. Wolfgang Blaschke, Managing Director of TAURUS Systems GmbH. "And KEPD 350 is just the start of a promising family of products that will establish itself over the next few years."
Taurus KEPD 350 is in serial production for the German Air Force, which has ordered 600 systems. Apart from the basic version, the other members of the Taurus product family are as follows:
* Ground-based / shipborne Container Launched (CL) Taurus
Designed both for ground-based, mobile platforms and also for deployment from ships, this missile offers exceptional firepower with high stand-off capability and accurate efficiency against land and sea targets.
* Taurus High Power Microwave (HPM)
This variation of Taurus is equipped with non-lethal effectors for temporarily knocking out enemy information systems or power supplies and is part of an extensive modular mission orientation that is currently envisaged for Taurus.
* Taurus with multiple warhead system (M)
Distributed pinpoint targets can be engaged accurately, effectively and at low cost with Taurus M. A single missile is all it takes to precisely engage multiple high-value targets, such as air defence positions, launchers, command posts etc.
* Mass-reduced Taurus KEPD 350 L
A mass-reduced version for platforms with limited payload capacity, which is achieved by reducing the amount of fuel carried and the penetrator mass.
* Transport aircraft launchable Taurus T
In this variation, a military transport aircraft such as the A400M or C130 loaded with up to 12 Taurus Ts can perform operations over extreme distances at minimal mission cost. The Taurus T missiles can be prepared over some time in the airspace above the operational area and then released through the open rear door as required.
On top of this, Taurus can also be equipped with a datalink. This enables moving targets to be precisely engaged while also allowing feedback to be sent back to the operator as to whether the military target was successfully engaged or not.
Many of the subsystems in the product family are of similar design, so that different variations of Taurus can be built at low cost. A modular system architecture not only simplifies retrofitting, for example with a far-reaching datalink, but also creates enormous synergy potential as existing demonstrations and certifications can be used several times over. The risks of new developments are avoided. This means that additional operational options and military scenarios can be implemented quickly and cost effectively. Thanks to simplification of the maintenance and operational logistics, Taurus comes with a price tag that is extremely attractive to customers.
Ultimately the critical factor is the performance - and this speaks for itself: Taurus is optimally designed to cover the military operational requirement for stand-off missiles for multinational military operations in the upper escalation spectrum. The Taurus family addresses the customer's requirement for interservice solutions: Taurus can be fitted not only to fighter aircraft but also to transport aircraft, ships and trucks.
With registered offices in Schrobenhausen, TAURUS Systems GmbH is a joint venture between EADS/LFK-Lenkflugkörpersysteme (two thirds) and SAAB Bofors Dynamics (one third) set up for the development, production and global marketing of Taurus precision stand-off guided missile systems.
The Business Unit EADS/LFK develops and manufactures guided missile systems and is an integrated part of the EADS Defence and Security Systems Division (DS).
EADS Defence and Security Systems, with revenues of about €5.4 billion in 2004 and roughly 24,000 employees across ten nations, forms the defence pole within EADS. It offers integrated systems solutions to the new challenges confronting armed forces and homeland security units. It is active in the areas of military aircraft, missile systems, Intelligence, Surveillance and Reconnaissance (ISR) systems with manned and unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), battlefield management systems, defence electronics, sensors and avionics, and related services.
EADS is a global leader in aerospace, defence and related services. In 2004, EADS generated revenues of €31.8 billion and employed a workforce of about 110,000.
Contacts:
Wolfram Lautner
Unterschleißheim
Tel.: +49 089 3179 2549
mailto: wolfram.lautner@eads.com
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