Spain Approves €545 Million to Modernize Taurus Missiles and Prepare Industry for Taurus NEO
Spain’s Council of Ministers approved two separate contracts worth a combined 545 million euros on November 10 to modernize its Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile fleet and prepare Spanish industry for Europe’s next-generation Taurus NEO program.
The package has two parts. The first, 65 million euros, funds a second life-extension upgrade (MLU-II) of Spain’s current Taurus missiles, aimed at keeping them operational and effective beyond 2040, to be paid over six annual installments. The second, a 480 million euro services contract, is not a purchase of NEO missiles; it covers training and capacity-building so Spanish industry can take part in the pan-European NEO program.
What the Taurus KEPD 350 offers
The Taurus KEPD 350 is built by Taurus Systems GmbH, a joint venture of Germany’s MBDA Deutschland and Sweden’s Saab. The missile has a range beyond 500 kilometers, measures about 5 meters and weighs roughly 1,400 kilograms, carrying a 480-kilogram Mephisto warhead with a precursor charge and penetrator designed to defeat hardened and buried targets. It flies subsonic and follows the terrain at low altitude, with navigation combining inertial, GPS, image-based and radar-altimeter data.
Spain currently can only carry the missile on its EF-18M Hornet jets. The Ministry of Defense plans to integrate it onto the Eurofighter under the Halcón I and II programs.
Taurus NEO pushes range past 700 km
Taurus NEO, also referred to as the Mk4, is the next generation of the KEPD 350 family. According to the manufacturer’s July 2026 datasheet, it keeps the same weight, length and warhead but extends range beyond 700 kilometers. Reported improvements include GPS-jamming-resistant navigation, an infrared seeker, a radar altimeter, a data link reporting missile status and battle damage, a programmable fuze able to detect structural layers and voids, selectable attack profiles, and reduced integration and maintenance requirements.
In December 2025, Taurus Systems and Germany’s procurement office, BAAINBw, signed a contract to set up a NEO series production line, with MBDA saying large-scale manufacturing is planned at a German facility. In August 2026, reports indicated Spain intends to move to NEO alongside Germany to secure a deep-strike capability beyond 500 kilometers.
Other operators
Countries using or planning to use the Taurus family include Germany, on the Tornado IDS and eventually the Eurofighter; South Korea, which flies the KEPD 350K on the F-15K Slam Eagle; and Sweden, which carried out its first KEPD 350 launch from a Saab Gripen in August 2026 after receiving missiles from German stocks.
Part of a larger defense package
The 545 million euros for Taurus are split across two of the 13 separate defense files the Council of Ministers approved the same day, together worth 11.86 billion euros. The wider package also includes mobile air defense systems, support and modernization for the S-80 submarines, counter-drone systems, NH90 helicopter upgrades and an intelligence-gathering ship. The number of missiles covered by the modernization and the workshare for Spanish companies in the NEO program have not yet been disclosed.
Sources:
Infodefensa, “Defensa destina 545 millones a modernizar el Taurus y preparar a la industria española para la nueva versión NEO,” November 11, 2026, link — used for the November 10 cabinet decision, the budget breakdown and Taurus/Taurus NEO technical data.
