The firing took place during an air exercise at the Vidsel test range in northern Sweden. The Swedish Air Force announced the event on 21 August.
The launch is the first official confirmation that Sweden’s Taurus integration programme has reached the live-firing stage. Sweden announced plans to acquire and integrate the weapon in 2025.
🇸🇪 TAURUS LAUNCH
Today a TAURUS KEPD 350 cruise missile was launched from a Swedish JAS 39 Gripen for the first time. The test was conducted at the Vidsel Test Range in Norrbotten.
Today TAURUS is a long-range cruise missile that introduces a new deep-strike capability.
📷 FMV pic.twitter.com/vYcL75Lu4p— Flygvapnet (@flygvapnet) August 21, 2026
The public schedule calls for operational capability by the end of 2028. Once fielded, the missile will allow Swedish Gripens to conduct precision strikes against surface targets from long range.
The Taurus will expand the Gripen’s existing air-to-surface arsenal. That portfolio includes the AGM-65 Maverick, the RBS-15 anti-ship missile and several types of bombs.
Saab has also integrated the Gripen with several air-to-air weapons. These include the IRIS-T, AIM-9, A-Darter, AIM-120 and Meteor missiles.
The Taurus KEPD 350 was developed through German-Swedish cooperation. It has been integrated with the Panavia Tornado IDS and Eurofighter.
The missile is also compatible with the Boeing F-15K Slam Eagle and Boeing EF-18A/B+ Hornet. The Gripen now joins that group of combat aircraft as Sweden works towards operational readiness.
Germany has started work on a new generation of the weapon under the Taurus Neo programme. Berlin also plans a major modernisation of its existing inventory of about 550 Taurus missiles.
