R-360 Neptune ( uk, Р-360 «Нептун», translit=R-360 "Neptun") is a Ukrainian anti-ship

cruise missile A cruise missile is a guided missile used against terrestrial or naval targets that remains in the atmosphere and flies the major portion of its flight path at approximately constant speed. Cruise missiles are designed to deliver a large warhe ...

developed by the

Luch Design Bureau Luch Design Bureau ( uk, Державне Київське конструкторське бюро «Луч»), located in Kyiv, Ukraine, is a major Ukrainian developer of components for the defense industry. The company is in close co-operation w ...

. Neptune's design is based on the Soviet

Kh-35 The Zvezda Kh-35 (russian: Х-35 , AS-20 'Kayak') is a Soviet turbojet subsonic cruise anti-ship missile. The missile can be launched from helicopters, surface ships and coastal defence batteries with the help of a rocket booster, in which c ...

anti-ship missile, with substantially improved range and electronics. The system requirement was for a single missile to defeat surface warships and transport vessels with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons, either in convoys or moving individually. The first training missile

divizion {{army units A divizion (dywizjon) (a word in several European languages, mostly Slavic) is a military unit in some armed branches, usually artillery and cavalry, being an equivalent of battalion. It should be distinguished from division, which ...

entered service with the

Ukrainian Navy The Military Naval Forces of the Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Військо́во-морські́ си́ли Збро́йних сил Украї́ни, ВМС ЗСУ) is the maritime forces of Ukraine and one of the five branches of the Arme ...

in March 2021.

Development

The missile was first revealed at the 2015 international exhibition in Kyiv. According to information from open sources, the first flight samples of the cruise missile were manufactured in the second quarter of 2016. Production of advanced missile systems took place in cooperation with other Ukrainian enterprises, including Artem Luch GAhK, ,

Motor Sich The Motor Sich Joint Stock Company ( uk, АТ «Мотор Січ») is a Ukrainian aircraft engine manufacturer headquartered in Zaporizhzhia. The company manufactures engines for airplanes and helicopters, and also industrial marine gas turbi ...

(MS-400 turbofan engine), Pivdenne YuMZ Pivdenmash, Lviv and other radar electronics, Vyshneve ZhMZ Vizar Kyiv, (seeker), Arsenal SDP SE (navigation system) and others. The first tests of the system were conducted on 22 March 2016, attended by Secretary of the

National Security and Defense Council The National Security and Defense Council of Ukraine (NSDC; uk, Рада національної безпеки і оборони України, RNBO or RNBOU) is the coordinating state body of the executive power under the President of Ukrai ...

(NSDC)

Oleksandr Turchynov Oleksandr Valentynovych Turchynov ( uk, Олександр Валентинович Турчинов; born 31 March 1964) is a Ukrainian politician, screenwriter, Baptist minister and economist. He is the former Secretary of the National Sec ...

. In mid-2017, Neptune missiles were tested concurrently with

Vilkha Vilkha ( uk, «Вільха», "Alder tree") is a Ukrainian heavy multiple rocket launcher that fires guided missiles. Designed by the Luch Design Bureau, it was based on the BM-30 Smerch rocket launch system and developed in the 2010s. Vilkha e ...

launchers and missiles. However, unlike the Vilkha, the test results and capabilities of the Neptune were not made public. According to the press service of the NSDC, the first successful flight tests of the system took place on 30 January 2018. On 17 August 2018, the missile successfully hit a target at a range of during test firings in southern

Odesa Oblast Odesa Oblast ( uk, Оде́ська о́бласть, translit=Odeska oblast), also referred to as Odeshchyna ( uk, Оде́щина) is an oblast (province) of southwestern Ukraine, located along the northern coast of the Black Sea. Its administr ...

. On 6 April 2019, the missile was again successfully tested, hitting targets during tests near

Odesa Odesa (also spelled Odessa) is the third most populous city and municipality in Ukraine and a major seaport and transport hub located in the south-west of the country, on the northwestern shore of the Black Sea. The city is also the administrative ...

. According to President

Petro Poroshenko Petro Oleksiyovych Poroshenko ( uk, Петро́ Олексі́йович Пороше́нко, ; born 26 September 1965) is a Ukrainian businessman and politician who served as the fifth president of Ukraine from 2014 to 2019. Poroshenko ser ...

, Neptune system would be delivered to the

Ukrainian military , imports = , exports = , history = , ranks = Military ranks of Ukraine , country=Ukraine The Armed Forces of Ukraine ( uk, Збро́йні си́ли Украї́ни), most commonly known ...

in December 2019. After the withdrawal of both the United States and the Russian Federation from the

Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty The Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF Treaty, formally the Treaty Between the United States of America and the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics on the Elimination of Their Intermediate-Range and Shorter-Range Missiles; / ДРСМ� ...

, Ukraine announced that it was considering developing intermediate-range cruise missiles. Analysts considered an extended-range Neptune missile to be a candidate for such an effort. Ukraine signed a memorandum with Indonesia on concluding a contract for the supply of a number of Neptune missiles, first reported in December 2020. Thus, Indonesia may become the first foreign buyer of Neptune, according to with reference to the Ukrainian special exporter State Enterprise (SE) "Progress". In March 2021, the

obtained the first training missile divizion of the RK-360MC Neptune.

Operational history

On 3 April 2022, during the

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, which began in 2014. The invasion has resulted in tens of thousands of deaths on both sides. It has caused Europe's largest refugee crisis since World War II. An ...

, Ukrainian sources claimed that the had been damaged by Ukrainian forces. Later,

Oleksiy Arestovych Oleksii Mykolaiovych Arestovych ( uk, Олексій Миколайович Арестович; born 3 August 1975) is a Ukrainian intelligence officer, blogger, actor, political and military columnist, and propagandist. He was a speaker of th ...

, an adviser to the

Office of the President of Ukraine The Office of the President of Ukraine ('' uk, Офіс Президента України'') (formerly ''Administration of the President of Ukraine'', uk, Адміністрація Президента) is a standing advisory body set up by ...

, clarified that ''Admiral Essen'' had been hit by a Neptune missile. The Russians did not comment on the claim and the ship continued its mission as normal. On 13 April 2022, Ukrainian sources claimed the was hit by two Neptune missiles, resulting in a fire and subsequent explosion of a shipboard ammunition store. The

Russian Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence of the Russian Federation (russian: Министерство обороны Российской Федерации, Минобороны России, informally abbreviated as МО, МО РФ or Minoboron) is the govern ...

stated, without discussing the cause, that a fire had caused munitions to explode and the crew had been fully evacuated. Russia reported the vessel as still being afloat later in the day of the fire, but Russian state media subsequently reported that she had sunk in inclement weather while being towed. According to Thomas Shugart, a former

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage of ...

submarine commander, s like ''Moskva'' have been typically "known for their offensive punch, not for their defensive systems or their damage control". ''Moskva'' is one of the two largest warships to be sunk in combat since

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, being of very similar size to , sunk during the

Falklands War The Falklands War ( es, link=no, Guerra de las Malvinas) was a ten-week undeclared war between Argentina and the United Kingdom in 1982 over two British dependent territories in the South Atlantic: the Falkland Islands and its territorial de ...

. The successful use of the Neptune system to sink the warship was cited by Ukrainian Defence Minister

Oleksii Reznikov Oleksii Yuriyovych Reznikov (; born 18 June 1966) is a Ukrainian lawyer and politician who has served as the List of Ministers of Defense (Ukraine), Minister of Defence of Ukraine since 4 November 2021. Reznikov previously has served in sever ...

as giving confidence to Ukraine's allies that more weapon supplies to Ukraine would be worth it.

Design

When deployed, a Neptune coastal defence system comprises a truck-based USPU-360 mobile launcher, four missiles, a TZM-360 transport/reload vehicle, a RCP-360

command and control Command and control (abbr. C2) is a "set of organizational and technical attributes and processes ... hatemploys human, physical, and information resources to solve problems and accomplish missions" to achieve the goals of an organization or en ...

vehicle, and a special cargo vehicle. Czech Tatra T815-7 trucks replaced prototype

KrAZ KrAZ ( uk, Кременчуцький автомобільний завод, ''Kremenchutskyi Avtomobilnyi Zavod'', Kremenchuk Automobile Plant, АвтоКрА́З or AvtoKrAZ) is a Ukrainian factory that produces trucks and other special-purpos ...

vehicles. The system is designed to operate inland up to from the coastline. A Neptune missile including rocket motor is in length, with a cross-shaped hard wing. Neptune missiles are designed to be housed in transport and launch containers (TLC) with dimensions . The system has a maximum range of about . A single missile weighs , of which is the warhead. It uses a

MS-400 engine which has a high

thrust-to-weight ratio Thrust-to-weight ratio is a dimensionless ratio of thrust to weight of a rocket, jet engine, propeller engine, or a vehicle propelled by such an engine that is an indicator of the performance of the engine or vehicle. The instantaneous thrust-to-w ...

Gallery

File:Neptune TEL, Kyiv 2021, 21.jpg, Launch vehicle File:Neptune transporter loader, Kyiv 2021, 12.jpg, Reload transporter with crane File:Neptune transporter, Kyiv 2021, 10.jpg, Transport without crane File:Neptune command vehicle, Kyiv 2021, 20.jpg, Command vehicle File:Neptune Mineral radar, Kyiv 2021, 12.jpg, Mineral-U radar File:Mineral-U, Kyiv 2021, 27.jpg, with radar erected File:USPU-360.jpg, Prototype

KrAZ-7634 The KrAZ H27.3EX or KrAZ 7634HE off-road truck 8x8 is manufactured at the KrAZ plant in Ukraine. It was first presented in the 2014 year. KrAZ 7634HE is provided engine YaMZ-7511.10 rated at 400 hp, the YaMZ-184 clutch and the YaMZ-2391-53 mec ...

-based launch vehicle File:Neptun missile complex TZM, Kyiv 2019, 05.jpg, Prototype

KrAZ-6322 The KrAZ-6322 is an off-road 6x6 truck intended for extreme conditions. It was first presented at the 1994 defence industry trade show in Kyiv, Ukraine. The KrAZ-6322 has been manufactured at the KrAZ factory in Kremenchuk since 1994. Technic ...

-based loader vehicle File:Neptun missile complex Command vehicle, Kyiv 2019, 06.jpg, Prototype command vehicle File:Neptun missile complex Command vehicle, Kyiv 2019, 15.jpg, Prototype command vehicle interior File:Neptune cruise missile 04.jpg, Prototype launcher with supporting vehicles File:Neptune cruise missile 05.jpg, Test launch, 2019

References

External links