The conflict in Ukraine has escalated, and Britain and France have provided it with long-range cruise missiles, but Germany has hesitated. German Chancellor Scholz fears that the use of missiles will provoke a war, and that the technology of missiles will leak to Russia. But Germany's cautious approach has been met with displeasure from Ukraine and pressure from the United States and NATO.
The missiles supplied by Britain and France are the "Storm Shadow Scalp" and "Taurus", both of which are launched by fighters with a range of about 500 kilometers and a warhead weighing about 450 kilograms. They are similar in shape and weight, but their performance is very different. It depends mainly on their fuse system, which is the device used to control when the warhead is **.
Storm Shadow SCALP's fuze system is set manually and requires a pre-set delay between impact and **. The disadvantage of this is that if the target is a complex structure, such as a bridge, it is difficult to destroy it accurately. Because the warhead could be ** after hitting the bridge deck, without penetrating into the pier.
Taurus's fuze system is intelligent, automatically identifying layers of material and voids, and adjusting the timing of the ** according to the characteristics of the target. The advantage of this is that it is possible to more effectively destroy multi-layered or buried targets, such as the Kerch Bridge, which is an important passage connecting Russia and Crimea. Ukraine has been trying to blow up the bridge in order to cut off Russian supply lines.
This is also one reason for Germany's reluctance to offer "Taurus" to Ukraine. Scholz believes that if Ukraine attacks the Kerch Bridge with German missiles, then it will lead to an escalation of the war, and Germany will also be drawn into the conflict. His responsibility, he said, was to ensure that "Germany would not become part of the conflict."
Another concern of Germany is that if the "Taurus" falls into the hands of the Russians, then German missile technology will be stolen or reverse-engineered. Germany plans to use the "Taurus" until 2050 and does not plan to develop new missiles. Germany is also concerned that if Ukraine uses Taurus, it will need Germany to provide topographic data on the target, which will also increase the risk of leaks.
Taurus "is Germany's only means of long-range strikes and a weapon for Germany to counter Russian air defense systems." Germany does not want the Russians to understand or deal with the capabilities of the "Taurus". But Germany's position has been met with Ukraine's **, and it has also been pressured by the United States and NATO. The United States has already provided Ukraine with a number of tactical ballistic missiles, while Germany has said that it will consider providing "Taurus" only after the United States provides them. Some politicians in Germany have also urged Scholz to change his attitude and support Ukraine's defense needs.