Germany plans to procure JASSM-ER missiles from the USA as a potential replacement for Taurus, according to Bild.
Germany plans to order 75 American JASSM-ER missiles this year. The official contract is expected to be concluded in the autumn.
These missiles will be used with F-35 fighters, which Germany has also ordered from the USA.
"In the long term, the purchase of JASSM missiles may replace the current Taurus in the arsenal of the German Air Force," the journalists write.
Details about JASSM-ER
The JASSM-ER missiles are long-range cruise missiles capable of destroying targets at distances of at least 926 kilometers.
The actual maximum flight range, which also depends on the altitude and speed of the carrying system, is kept secret.
The USA has already used JASSM-ER missiles - in 2018, such weapons were used to destroy a chemical weapons factory owned by the regime of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.
Taurus for Ukraine
Since last year, Ukraine has been asking Germany to transfer long-range Taurus missiles capable of destroying targets at a distance of 500 kilometers.
However, the deliveries have not started yet. Chancellor Olaf Scholz is particularly against it. According to him, the deployment of missiles would require the presence of German soldiers in Ukraine, which supposedly would lead to the direct involvement of the Federal Republic of Germany in the war with Russia.
Scholz also fears that "if misused," Taurus missiles could strike Moscow.
Today, March 19, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Ukraine still needs to count on news about Taurus.