Sweden launches Taurus cruise missile from Gripen for first time
A screenshot from a Swedish Air Force video showing the first in-flight release of a Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile from a Gripen during testing in August 2026. (Swedish Air Force)
Sweden has launched the Taurus KEPD 350 cruise missile from the Saab Gripen combat aircraft for the first time, as the country looks to develop its deep strike capabilities.
The Swedish Air Force (SwAF) announced the test at the Vidsel Test Range in the far north of Sweden on 21 August 2026.
The Taurus KEPD 350 missile measures 5.1 m in length, 63 cm wide, 32 cm high, and weighs in at 1,400 kg. It is a 350 km to 500 km-class weapon designed for use against hardened and buried targets with its Multi-Effect Penetrator Highly Sophisticated and Target Optimised (MEPHISTO) penetrator warhead and intelligent fuzing system.
Once launched, the missile, which is powered by a small turbofan engine, flies at extremely low altitudes (30 m) at speeds of up to Mach 0.9 to an estimated range of 500 km.
It is already fielded by Germany on the Panavia Tornado (and soon-to-be Eurofighter EF-2000) and Spain on its Boeing EF-18 Hornet and Eurofighter EF-2000 aircraft respectively, and by South Korea as the KEPD 350K on its F-15K Slam Eagle.
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