Sweden Accelerates Integration of Taurus Missiles on Gripen Fighter Jets

Sweden will gain the ability to conduct deep-strike operations earlier than planned due to the accelerated integration of the Taurus missile with the Gripen fighter jet.

Major General Jonas Vikman, Commander of the Swedish Air Force, announced this in an interview with Defense News.

The Swedish Air Force is currently implementing a major modernization program for its aircraft fleet.

“We reassessed our priorities and reorganized the work so that the efforts of all participants overlapped as much as possible. As a result, the original timelines have moved forward, and I expect operational readiness to be achieved significantly earlier than originally planned,” Vikman said.

According to a document released in February, the initial operational capability of the Taurus KEPD-350 air-launched cruise missile on JAS 39 Gripen C/D fighter aircraft was previously expected no earlier than 2028.

Due to the sensitivity of the project, the official did not disclose the exact integration date. Taurus Systems GmbH, a German-Swedish joint venture between MBDA Deutschland and Saab, developed the missile.

The weapon carries a 481-kg warhead and is designed to strike fortified and deeply buried targets of any size at ranges exceeding 500 km.

Vikman described the future introduction of this weapon as a “huge step” that will also influence the Swedish Air Force’s doctrine and operational concepts.

“This capability is extremely important, because previously we had no deep-strike capability or the ability to conduct offensive operations against an adversary’s air forces. We could focus all our resources only on defense, but this represents a fundamental change,” he emphasized.

He added that Sweden has received significant support from Germany in all aspects of developing long-range offensive strike capabilities.

Previously, Saab released images of the Gripen armed with the Taurus missile, and a static display of the fighter in this configuration was already shown in 2016 at the FIDAE defense exhibition in Chile.

Sweden follows a unique approach by abandoning the traditional mid-life upgrade program for the Gripen. Instead, it gradually introduces new capabilities through regular, larger-scale updates approximately every three years.