Defense Express chief editor Oleh Katkov stated this on Espreso TV."Recently, information appeared about the signing of a contract for a thorough inspection of the condition of TAURUS cruise missiles. The purpose of this work, as stated in the documentation, is to prepare these missiles for continued service at least until 2045, that is, approximately until the mid-2040s.In this regard, a complete technical inspection is necessary: what has happened to the missiles over 20 years. The contract stipulates that it is necessary to assess the impact of time, identify systems that need replacement, and determine how exactly they can be upgraded, considering that the production of these missiles is no longer ongoing, and also where to find the necessary components. The German government is spending significant funds on all this work," Katkov noted.According to the military expert, the costs of extending the operation of TAURUS for another 20 years exceed the cost of their initial procurement, even taking inflation into account. At the same time, an order for the development of new TAURUS Neo missiles, which was proposed by the German defense industry, was never placed. That is, there is no order for the production of new TAURUS missiles, and there are no signs that there will be one. That is why this inspection does not add any additional hope regarding the possibility of transferring these missiles to Ukraine."The problem is that the number of available TAURUS missiles is very limited. They have been discussed since 2023. And every time, the same information is repeated: Germany has very few of them. The total number of missiles was estimated at about 600 units, and Germany stated that about 500 remained. At the same time, the actual number of combat-ready missiles, according to the Bundestag Defense Committee as of 2023, was 150," Katkov said.The Defense Express chief editor also recalled the leak of a conversation between the head of the German Air Force and his subordinate, which occurred through an unsecured Wi-Fi network during a business trip to Singapore."This conversation was intercepted by the Russians and posted online, where the head of the German Air Force directly said that, if necessary, about 10, a maximum of 20 missiles could be quickly transferred. In the long term—possibly two batches of 50. Berlin acknowledged the recording as genuine and announced an investigation," Katkov added.On July 10, German Chancellor Friedrich Merz announced Berlin's readiness to purchase additional Patriot air defense systems from the United States in order to transfer them to Ukraine.On July 14, German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius stated that Berlin would not supply Ukraine with long-range TAURUS cruise missiles.