No “Taurus” missiles are currently being built – because without orders, defense companies are not allowed to build weapons. MBDA boss Gottschild is therefore calling for a “base load” in order to preserve supply chains and employees.
The defense company MBDA has called on the federal government to make quicker decisions about orders to industry. “We can do much better and faster here in Germany,” said MBDA managing director Thomas Gottschild to the Augsburger Allgemeine.
Despite improvements, there is still a lot of potential to procure defense equipment more quickly. The joint venture between Airbus, BAE Systems and Leonardo is, among other things, the producer of the “Taurus” cruise missile and “Patriot” anti-aircraft missile.
“The defense industry needs a base load in production,” said Gottschild. “It’s enough to make it worthwhile to maintain supply chains, keep testing equipment state-of-the-art and maintain the competence of employees.”
As a positive example, he cited an order from several states for up to 1,000 “Patriot” rockets, which MBDA will produce in Schrobenhausen in Upper Bavaria in collaboration with its US partner Raytheon. “We will deliver the first ‘Patriot’ missiles within three years.”
Currently, MBDA does not produce “Taurus” missiles. This would require official orders.
Shortages of raw materials for explosives
On the other hand, “Taurus” missiles are currently no longer being manufactured because the defense industry is not allowed to produce stock without orders, said Gottschild. It would be a “challenge” for the industry if production was interrupted. “In such cases, our suppliers, who are often small and medium-sized companies, have stopped production.”
For new orders, suppliers would first have to reposition themselves and, for example, secure raw materials. Given the high demand worldwide, there are bottlenecks, especially for raw materials for explosives.
Whether Germany delivers “Taurus” to Ukraine is a political decision. With a range of around 500 kilometers, the guided missile has “a great distance effect”. Something like this is needed by Ukraine to combat logistics chains and strategic goals. Chancellor Olaf Scholz rejects “Taurus” deliveries to Ukraine.
“We get the workers we need”
MBDA is not worried about skilled workers in Germany. “We’re getting the workers we need,” said Gottschild. “Last year we received an average of around 400 applications per month, and at the beginning of this year the number jumped to 800 per month.”
Almost 1,000 of the approximately 1,200 MBDA employees in Germany currently work in Schrobenhausen. The number of jobs is expected to increase by around 300 by the end of next year.