Ukraine Showcases New Bloated Long-Range Version Of Neptune Missile

Click to see full-size image. (X)

Ukraine unveiled on October 7 another long-range, land-attack version of its locally-developed R-360 Neptune cruise missile.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Denys Shmyhal shared a photo of the new Neptune version in an X post, welcoming a recent visit by Lithuanian Prime Minister Inga Ruginiene and other Western dignitaries.

The original R-360 Neptune is a subsonic anti-ship cruise missile with a range of around 300 kilometers. The missile’s design is based on the Soviet-era Kh-35. In 2023, Ukraine began using a land-attack version of the missile, which was dubbed by some analysts the Neptune-MD. Its range was reported to be 1,000 kilometers.

Last August, Ukraine unveiled a long-range version of the cruise missile dubbed the “RK-360L” or “Long Neptune”. This new version, which features an extended fuselage with enlarged central section, is claimed to have a range of up to 1,000 kilometers. It is still unclear if the Neptune-MD and the Long Neptune are the same missile.

Long Neptune. Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)

The latest Neptune version shown to Ruginiene and the other Western officials appear to be closer in size to the original Neptune with two prominent bulges on either side of the forward body immediately in front of the main fins. These bulges are most likely extra fuel tanks.

Increasing fuel capacity is a relatively straightforward way to extend the missile’s reach without dramatically changing its design.

This is of course not a new concept. The Soviets did the same with the Kh-55, extending the range of the land attack cruise missile by simply adding extra fuel tanks to the forward section of its body. This version was dubbed the “Kh-55SM”. It increased the range from 2,500 kilometers to 3,000, reportedly.

The guidance package of the original Neptune combines a GPS-aided inertial navigation system and active radar seeker. In the land-attack versions, the active radar seeker is reportedly replaced by an imaging infrared sensor, although all photos of the missiles do not show such a seeker.

The latest version of the missile is likely meant to fill the gap between the original Neptune and the Long Neptune. Thus, its range is likely between 300 and 1,000 kilometers. It can’t be said if the version is a dedicated land-attack cruise missile, or was designed to offer extended anti-ship capabilities.

It can be assumed that the bulged Neptune has a larger radar cross section, thus it will likely be easier to detect than the original version.

In recent months, Ukraine showcased several locally-made long-range weapons in an effort to capitalize on its so-called “deep strike” strategy to weaken Russia. In reality not much if anything changed. The rate of Ukrainian attacks on Russian territories has not seen any notable increase, and the accuracy of the attacks remain the same.

Kiev is now making a new push to acquire long-range weapons from its Western backers, mainly Tomahawk land-attack cruise missiles from the U.S. This is enough evidence that things are not going according to the plan with the Ukrainian military-industrial complex.

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