Ukraine Enhances Neptune Missiles: Moscow Will Be Range
- 30.08.2023, 10:58
Such a missile destroyed the Russian S-400 Triumf in Crimea.
Ukraine enhances long-range missiles of its own production, the Neptune missile. The upgraded weapons can be used as ground-to-ground missiles and strike Moscow and other objects deep in the aggressor country of Russia. Such a missile hit the S-400 anti-aircraft missile system of the invaders in occupied Crimea.
An article by The War Zone project of the The Drive edition reads that journalists spoke with a representative of the Ministry of Defence, who said, “Ukraine in the future will be able to strike Moscow and other objects on the territory of the Russian Federation with the help of Neptune missiles, which will be converted into ground-to-ground missiles.”
With reference to a Ukrainian official, it is indicated that the attack on the S-400 air defence system of the Russian invaders in Crimea near the village of Olenivka on Cape Tarkhankut was carried out by a modified Neptune missile for sure.
According to the publication, in April, the same official spoke about the work of Ukraine on the enhancement of the R-360 Neptun missile into a ground-to-ground weapon system. But then the missile did not get the necessary new guidance system. It required certain chips to complete the project.
On August 28, the official told the publication that Ukraine had already developed a GPS guidance system that allows the missile to be delivered to a predetermined location.
The missile's infrared homing head (IHH) searches and sets a target on the spot based on a previously downloaded image, after which it finally attacks it. The missile stops attacking if it fails to fix the target.
The War Zone writes that such a modification would be a breakthrough in capabilities because such a missile would be impossible to jam with electronic warfare and difficult to detect at the stage of the final attack, since those very seekers are inherently passive.
Neptune strikes at a range of 400 km
The upgraded Neptune missile, which is launched from the same launcher as the anti-ship modification, is capable of strikes at a distance of about 400 kilometers and carries 350 kg of destructive payload, according to the official.
The representative of the military department called the ability of modern Russian air defence systems to interfere with the missile and the small number of missiles that were produced as the current issues.
“Only a couple of dozen were produced,” the official said.
Neptune missile
In the second month of Russia's full-scale war against Ukraine, on the night of April 14, the Armed Forces of Ukraine sank the Moskva cruiser with two Neptune anti-ship missiles. Domestic missiles crushed the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet. The warship became one of the most expensive losses of the occupiers in the war.
The Ukrainian army is hitting the Russian troops at a distance of 100-300 km, said the commander of the Joint Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Serhiy Naev. According to him, Ukrainian-made weapons operate effectively on the battlefield.