Taurus Systems to open Seoul office this week

F-15K loaded with a Taurus missile

By Kang Seung-woo

Taurus Systems said Sunday that it will open an office in Seoul on Tuesday ― the company's first outside Germany.

The joint German-Swedish venture is the manufacturer of the Taurus KEPD 350 long-range cruise missile that will be loaded on the Korean Air Force's F-15Ks.

The Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA), the nation's arms procurement agency, signed a deal to purchase the air-to-surface stand-off missiles in November.

The office will take charge of various tasks regarding the Air Force's acquisition of the missile and also support other work such as technology transfer and joint development of the next cruise missile.

"We are very happy to be a large step closer to our aim of supporting our customers in Korea as best as we can, and to offer an efficient infrastructure, with the opening of the office in Seoul," said Christoffer Drevstad, vice president of Taurus Systems.

"This is the first time for Taurus Systems to open an office outside Germany. This will ring in a new era and be very meaningful for our company."

Thanks to the bunker-busting missiles that can fly over 500 kilometers, the Air Force is now capable of striking targets with pin-point accuracy anywhere in North Korea without aircraft entering its airspace, including nuclear and missile facilities and penetrating several meters of reinforced concrete.

In addition, the Taurus has three independent navigation systems ― terrain reference, imagery, and GPS ― that makes it very resistant to any form of signal jamming.

The Taurus is the first European missile to be integrated onto a Korean fighter aircraft. The missile is expected to improve survival statistics of the fighter and its pilot as well as being an effective strategic threat as a deterrent against war.