The "Long Neptune" missile has already passed tests and has been successfully used in combat operations, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said on the “Telegram“ platform. It was also said that it is Ukrainian-made, as well as that it can hit targets up to 1000 kilometers away.
Experts who analyze publicly available information (Open-Source Intelligence - OSINT), as well as media outlets claim that Kiev used such a missile to hit the Russian oil refinery in Tuapse, which is located 550 km from the line of combat operations. And experts with whom DV spoke suggested that the missile is a new modification of the R-360 "Neptune" anti-ship missile.
Modifications of "Neptune"
The R-360 "Neptune" anti-ship missile is a development of the Kiev design bureau "Luch" and has been in service with the Ukrainian army since 2020 - together with the PK-360MTs coastal missile system. This missile system is designed to detect and destroy enemy ships of various classes. The missile has a 150-kilogram warhead and a range of up to 300 kilometers.
„Neptune“ was first used in combat conditions in early April 2022, when it hit the Russian frigate “Admiral Essen“. And on April 13, 2022, two “Neptune“ anti-ship missiles sank the Russian cruiser “Moskva“.
In 2023, it became known that “Neptune“ had been modified to be able to hit not only ships, but also ground targets. An unnamed representative of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense told the American publication The War Zone that the modified “Neptune“ missile has a range of about 400 km and a warhead weighing 350 kg, which is 200 kg more than the anti-ship version.
Now Ukrainian designers have probably made a new modification of the land-based version of the “Neptune“, experts told DW. All of them are categorical that the main question is whether this weapon can enter serial production. According to the director of military programs at the “Razumkov“ Center, Nikolay Sungurovsky, this will not be easy at all. Including because the entire territory of Ukraine is within the range of Russian missiles, which makes the issue of the physical location of production facilities extremely complicated. Sungurovsky hopes that with the joint efforts of Ukraine and its Western partners - technological, financial and production - the issue may find its solution.
The director of the Ukrainian consulting company Defense Express Sergey Zgurets believes that Ukraine should produce no less than the Russian Federation - that is, about 40-50 missiles per month. “We must reach these rates“, he says. The expert also notes that “Neptune“ has a team of experienced specialists.
Can “Neptune“ replace Western missiles?
Before the advent of “Long Neptune“, the longest-range missiles that Ukraine used against Russia were only Western-made - ATACMS and Storm Shadow (Scalp). The versions of such missiles received by Kiev have a range of up to 300 kilometers. According to media reports, Ukraine has exhausted its stock of American ATACMS ballistic missiles as early as January 2025, and there is no information about the delivery of a new batch from the United States. At the same time, the number of Storm Shadow (Scalp) is limited, since only a few dozen of them have been delivered.
Experts positively assess the fact that Ukraine has developed its own long-range missile, but they do not believe that it can completely replace Western weapons. "Based on the needs of the Ukrainian army, this missile will only be an addition to the assistance that the West provides us," says Sungurovsky.
Also important are the needs for missiles that Ukraine has not yet received, in particular the German "Taurus", says Zgurets. "Taurus" has a shorter range than "Long Neptune" – hits targets up to 600 km away, but the German missile has a unique penetrating warhead and can successfully destroy bunkers. In addition, the “Taurus“ is considered the most technologically advanced missile. “With it, the deviation from the intended target is only up to three meters“, says the expert.
What are the potential targets of “Long Neptune“?
Russia takes into account the range of weapons that Ukraine has, and depending on this, it withdraws potential targets to a distance at which they could not be reached, Sungurovsky points out. “This applies to aircraft that it has at certain airfields, or to certain production facilities. But Russia cannot move its oil refineries, and with the advent of “Long Neptune” many of them become a potential target for Ukraine“ he adds.
Ukraine has so far “covered” a distance of over 300 kilometers only with unmanned aerial vehicles. “There are constant drone attacks, but one drone can carry a relatively small amount of explosives - up to 50 kg. This means that it is impossible to break through a more heavily fortified object, even if it is attacked by several drones at the same time. “It's like shooting a gun at an armored car - you can't break through the armor anyway,” says Alexey Getman, a major in the reserve. According to him, “Long Neptune” can carry up to 300 kilograms of explosives, which allows it to break through even well-fortified objects.
Author: Alexander Kunitsky