Production of Taurus cruise missiles has been suspended in Germany
Thomas Gottschild, head of the German representative office of the MBDA missile manufacturer, said that the production of Taurus cruise missiles in Germany has been suspended due to the lack of new orders from the government. According to him, the defense industry needs long-term contracts, since in other cases it will not be able to "work miracles" and supply ammunition in a short time. Speaking about the transfer of missiles to Kiev, Gottschild noted that they could become "an important additional component in the current situation."
"A challenge for the industry"
Production of Taurus missiles has been suspended in Germany, as new orders from the federal government are required for their release, Thomas Gottschild told the Augsburger Allgemeine newspaper in an interview with the German representative office of the MBDA rocket manufacturer (Matra BAE Dynamics Aérospatiale).
According to him, the law prohibits the production of ammunition for future use, an appropriate order from the state is needed for their release, which did not happen in the case of the Taurus.
Image source: Alina Dzhus/"Newspaper.Ru"
"It's a challenge for our industry when production is interrupted, as in the case of the Taurus. In such cases, our suppliers, which are often small and medium-sized companies, stop production. They often cannot afford the financial upkeep of production lines. Therefore, if we receive new orders for Taurus, our suppliers will first have to reorient themselves and, for example, provide themselves with raw materials," Gottschild said.
Why do I need to order weapons in advance
At the same time, the entrepreneur noted that the defense industry cannot "work miracles" and the scheme "ordered today - received tomorrow" will not work in such conditions:
"Therefore, in conversations with politicians, we always say how much we depend on order planning. The defense industry needs long-term contracts to be able to supply ammunition in the short term in the future."
He added that the defense industry needs a base load to maintain supply chains, state-of-the-art testing equipment and employee competence. Then, in the emergency situation that has developed now, companies will be able to quickly increase production.
The entrepreneur called a positive example in this regard an order initiated by Germany from a number of countries for the production of up to 1,000 missiles for Patriot air defense systems, which MBDA will produce with its American partner Raytheon at its plant in Schrobenhausen. Under such conditions, it is possible to invest in production.
Gottschild also said that MBDA is "pushing for faster federal order solutions for the industry." Some of the orders have already been agreed, but they have yet to go through Parliament.
"We haven't revealed any details yet. But one thing is for sure: Germany should order more ammunition for the Bundeswehr," he concluded.
Taurus for Ukraine
In an interview with the head of the MBDA division, the Augsburger Allgemeine journalist also touched on the topic of Taurus supplies to Ukraine. Gottschild noted that missiles could become "an important additional component in the current situation," but declined to comment on the possibility of supplies.
"Whether and under what conditions Taurus cruise missiles will be delivered to Ukraine is a political decision of the federal government," he stressed.
German Chancellor Olaf Scholz has consistently refused to supply Kiev with these munitions, despite the fact that many politicians are in favor. In early March, the German leader once again stressed that sending cruise missiles to Ukraine was out of the question:
"It cannot be that they supply a combat system that has a very long range without thinking about how to exercise control over it. And if you want to control and this is possible only in the case of the participation of the German military, then this (supplies. - "Newspaper.Ru") is completely excluded."
German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius holds a similar opinion. According to him, Germany refuses to supply because it does not want to be a "belligerent party" in this conflict. Moreover, the head of the defense department is confident that Taurus will not affect the outcome of hostilities in Ukraine.
Germany also indirectly rejected the circular arms exchange proposed by British Foreign Minister David Cameron. He said that the government of the kingdom "is ready to consider all options in order to achieve maximum effect for Ukraine" and help Germany resolve all issues related to the supply of Taurus. Despite the fact that the idea was supported by German Foreign Minister Annalena Berbock, the German cabinet said they had nothing to add to Scholz's refusal.
"The Chancellor said that neither directly nor indirectly wants German soldiers to be involved in this conflict (by controlling the use of Taurus by Ukraine. - "The newspaper.Ru"), this remains relevant," said Bundestag representative Steffen Hebestreit.
Eva Vishnevskaya