March 30, 2024

Thomas Gottschild is the German head of MBDA – the company that also produces the Taurus cruise missile. What he thinks of the delivery debate [to Ukraine] and how things should continue at the Schrobenhausen location.

Mr. Gottschild, as Germany’s head of the European defense company MBDA, you are also the master of the Taurus. You are probably often asked about the precision-hitting cruise missile that Chancellor Olaf Scholz does not want to supply to Ukraine from the Bundeswehr’s stocks.

Thomas Gottschild: Whether and under what conditions Taurus cruise missiles will be delivered to Ukraine is a political decision by the federal government, which I will not comment on.

A pity. But you are certainly talking about the properties of the weapon, which weighs around 1,400 kilograms.

Gottschild: The Taurus is a long-range weapon, as it flies more than 500 kilometers. This feature is in high demand, especially in Ukraine, in order to combat logistics chains and other strategic targets. That’s why there’s so much focus on this topic right now.

Military experts say about the Taurus’ capabilities that the enemy only notices the cruise missile when it hits.

Godshield: The Taurus is able to fly very low, even through valleys, which makes it a bit special. This means that it is only noticed very late by radar or other means of detection.

The Taurus is a dangerous weapon.

Godshield: The Taurus belongs in a kit for modern warfare. Ukraine currently covers its standoff capability with other weapons. From the Ukrainians’ point of view, the Taurus would be an important additional component in the current situation. But again: It is not our responsibility to decide on a delivery to Ukraine and hand over the Taurus. This is a political decision.

The Bundeswehr’s approximately 600 Taurus cruise missiles were built at the MBDA site in Schrobenhausen, Upper Bavaria.

Gottschild: The production line for the Taurus, the test equipment and the corresponding infrastructure are still available. We could start the production of the Taurus at any time. But to do this we would need a new order for these weapons.

You cannot start production overnight; after all, the many suppliers also have to ramp up their production again.

Gottschild: It is a challenge for our industry when production is interrupted like with the Taurus. In such cases, our suppliers, who are often small and medium-sized companies, have stopped production. They often cannot financially afford to maintain production lines. So if we got new orders for the Taurus, our suppliers would first have to reposition themselves and, for example, secure the raw materials they need.

You cannot buy armaments off the shelf, as some politicians have in mind.

Gottschild: The law prohibits us from producing in stock [stockpiling]; this requires approval from the federal government, based on orders. No such thing happened in the past. Regardless, there is always a lead time to be able to deliver. The arms industry cannot work miracles: we get the order today and can deliver tomorrow – that doesn’t work. That’s why, in discussions with politicians, we always point out how dependent we are on orders, so that we can plan. The defense industry needs long-term contracts in order to be able to provide short-term capabilities in the future.

However, Germany has saved on its defense, which is also hurting the domestic arms industry.

Gottschild: The arms industry needs a base load in production so that we can keep the production of certain weapons running. We don’t always have to produce at full speed; it’s enough that it’s worth maintaining supply chains, keeping test equipment state-of-the-art, and maintaining the competence of our employees. Then, in an emergency, like now, we can ramp up production very quickly.

Which in many cases was not possible after Russia’s attack on Ukraine.

Gottschild: What is happening now must not happen to us again. If we stop production, the same problem as today will arise once more. Then we have to start everything again.

So you need more reliability from politicians.

Gottschild: In the end, the arms industry needs orders. Although we make advance investments, there are limits. It’s unfortunate if you waste a lot of time. We in Germany can do much better and faster here. The procurement processes on the customer side have already improved significantly. However, there is still a lot of potential to procure defense equipment more quickly, especially when it comes to certification and qualification.

You have already announced significant investments.

Gottschild: As MBDA Germany, we are investing over 200 million euros in our locations over the next four years in order to ramp up our production lines.

To do this you need more employees.

Gottschild: We hired additional employees last year. By the end of next year, we will create around 300 additional jobs, mainly at our location in Schrobenhausen. Some new positions are also being created at our subsidiary Bayern-Chemie in Aschau am Inn. Almost 1,000 of our total of around 1,200 employees in Germany currently work in Schrobenhausen. When it comes to staff expansion, we also rely on a long-term perspective from politicians.

Are you investing more than 200 million euros in advance or are there already clear signals from the federal government for additional orders?

Gottschild: There are many signals, but we also need contracts. We now have some confidence that these contracts will come about. Of course, we also take risks when it comes to expanding locations and financing new products.

The magic formula for an efficient arms industry is therefore the continuity of orders. The poison, on the other hand, is receiving too few orders for a long time and then suddenly receiving too many orders.

Gottschild: But there are also positive examples such as the ground-based Patriot anti-aircraft missile system. Here, several countries have joined forces to reorder on Germany’s initiative. MBDA received a contract with its US partner Raytheon through a joint venture to produce up to 1,000 missiles, which will be produced in Schrobenhausen. The contract is for ten years. We can invest on this basis.

When will the first Patriot rockets be produced in Schrobenhausen?

Gottschild: The contract is signed. Final production of the missiles takes place in Schrobenhausen. We are currently planning to build the production facility for the engine in Aschau. We will deliver the first Patriot aircraft within three years.

The Patriot missiles won’t work as quickly as politicians would like. The Bundeswehr cannot drive up to the arms supermarket with the shopping cart and pack up the weapons it wants.

Gottschild: If the shelf is empty, you can’t take anything out, especially since our products are highly complex. Safety is the top priority in the production of weapons; we must not take any unnecessary risks here. The German armaments industry was used to producing small series in a highly specialized and highly technological manner in a factory. Looking at the course of the war in Ukraine, it is clear: we need both, high technology but also mass, especially when it comes to ammunition. We have a backlog when it comes to ammunition.

It will certainly take years until the Bundeswehr is ready for war, as Defense Minister Boris Pistorius has said. Some people talk about defensive capability here.

Gottschild: I think martial prowess is an appropriate word. Defense Minister Pistorius is clear in his language. He pushes things along. Implementation into contracts for our industry has begun. On both sides, i.e. in politics and in the defense industry, the willingness to take risks must now increase. In this way we can accelerate the production of defense equipment.

To what extent does MBDA benefit from the German Zeitenwende pot of over 100 billion euros?

Gottschild: The biggest order so far was for Patriot. We are hoping for further ammunition orders this year. Some of these orders have already been negotiated but still have to go through the parliamentary process. We are not giving any details yet. But one thing is certain: Germany must order more ammunition for the Bundeswehr. As far as Ukraine is concerned, we are making good progress here. Platforms, such as aircraft, that are ordered without weapons obviously do not achieve the desired effect. Unfortunately, in the past such platforms were often ordered without weapons. After Russia’s attack on Ukraine it was clear: we always have to order the weapons at the same time.

It would certainly make sense for the Bundeswehr to first overhaul old Taurus weapons, i.e. bring them up to the latest technological standards.

Gottschild: That is our great wish. We are available for relevant orders from the federal government at any time of the day or night. The same applies here: we need an order. In any case, the Taurus, which was previously carried by the Tornado, will be qualified for the Eurofighter when this fighter aircraft is phased out.

But Germany has ordered American F-35 stealth bombers and US weapons to replace part of the Tornado aircraft fleet. Did that bother you?

Gottschild: I regret that Germany only ordered American weapons for the F-35, so it is taking the package as it is. Elsewhere, the F-35 will fly with weapons like our Meteor missile, which can combat airborne threats. MBDA Germany is part of the European MBDA group, which in turn is a joint venture between Airbus, the British company BAE Systems and the Italian company Leonardo. We are the only European guided missile company that can compete with the Americans in the international missile systems market.

In order to produce weapons like the Meteor or the Taurus, plenty of explosives are necessary. There are bottlenecks in Europe here.

Gottschild: There are different types of explosives, although a certain type is not easy to obtain. Capacity must be increased here and production facilities should be set up in Germany or at least in Europe. We need more explosives. The bottlenecks mainly exist in the raw materials for the explosives that we purchase. Demand has skyrocketed worldwide. We process the explosives and use them to build warheads.

Has the turning point proclaimed by Chancellor Scholz already arrived in people’s minds?

Godshield: In mine, yes. I understand the turning point as a process that started at a gallop and is now slowly reaching people. We’re not there yet. We’re trying to get faster, but it’s still with a peacetime mentality. We have to completely rethink this. And we need more European arms cooperation again, especially with France. I am very grateful to Bavaria’s Prime Minister Markus Söder for clearly addressing this during his visit to us in Schrobenhausen. European defense cooperation is so important because it allows us to create more mass and stamina.

In the end, Germany will only be able to defend itself again if companies like MBDA find enough skilled workers. Does this work?

Gottschild: We get the workers we need. 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. We get the people we need across the board. This ensures our growth.

Are applicants now also coming forward who emphasize that they want to do a service for Germany’s security?

Gottschild: We have been receiving applications with such reasons since 2014, when Russia annexed Crimea. But it has always been true that anyone who builds guided missiles or warheads must stand behind their work.

https://www.augsburger-allgemeine.de/wirtschaft/interview-der-taurus-gehoert-in-den-baukasten-fuer-moderne-kriegsfuehrung-id70284186.html