Ukraine has tested and operationally used an upgraded Neptune cruise missile, President Volodymyr Zelenskyy announced recently.
Named the Long Neptune, the indigenous missile can strike targets around 1,000 kilometers (621 miles) away.
“There were also reports today on our missile program. We have significant results. “Long Neptune” has been tested and successfully used in combat,” Zelenskyy said.
“A new Ukrainian missile, precise strike. Range – a thousand kilometers. Thank you to our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers and military.”
Long Neptune
Efforts to enhance the truck-launched R-360 Neptune’s range had been ongoing for years.
The anti-ship missile was inducted in 2021 and was modified for land-attack roles in 2023.
In its original version, the missile sank the Russian Black Sea Fleet flagship Moskva in April 2022 and was later deployed to strike Russian land targets such as the S-400 air defense system.
Ukraine’s Luch Design Bureau developed the missile based on the Soviet Kh-35 missile.
The Long Neptune’s “successful” use in combat is possibly with reference to the March 14 strike on a Russian oil refinery 300 miles (483 miles) away from the frontline in Tuapse.
Increased Production
In addition to ramping up the Neptune’s production, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov laid out plans last year to develop long-range missile-drones such as the Palianytsia.
Before that, Zelenskyy said that the country aimed to produce 30,000 long-range drones and 3,000 cruise missiles in 2025.
Meanwhile, the US is poised to resume the supply of Ground-Launched Small Diameter Bombs (GLSDB) to Ukraine amid reports of depletion in the supply of the similarly-ranged Army Tactical Missile Systems, according to Reuters.
The GLSDB to be supplied to Ukraine has been upgraded to better resist Russian electronic warfare, which had degraded its effects.
