Ukraine has a new version of its homemade Neptune cruise missile for longer range, expanding the country’s deep-strike arsenal, and it has already used the weapon against Russia.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on Saturday that he received “significant” news on the country’s missile program, specifically that the “Long Neptune” had been tested and successfully used in combat.
“A new Ukrainian missile, an accurate strike. The range is a thousand kilometers (or 620 miles),” Zelenskyy said in a post on the Telegram messaging platform. “Thank you to our Ukrainian developers, manufacturers, and military. We continue to work to guarantee Ukrainian security.”
The Long Neptune missile is a bigger version of Kyiv’s R-360 Neptune anti-ship missile, a subsonic truck-launched munition that Ukraine previously modified to strike land targets. It is made by the Ukrainian defense manufacturer Luch Design Bureau.
The new “Long Neptune” missile has been in the works for some time. Last year, Ukrainian Defense Minister Rustem Umerov said that serial production of the missiles had expanded and that they were being upgraded to strike at longer ranges. The munition could previously hit targets over 200 miles away. The new version roughly triples its range.
Ukraine has used Neptune missiles to strike high-value Russian targets, including the cruiser Moskva, once the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet, in the early days of the full-scale invasion. The missile has also been used to attack high-end air defense batteries and oil terminals.
The “Long Neptune” missile was reportedly used late last week to strike an oil refinery in the Russian city of Tuapse, some 300 miles from the front lines. It marked one of Ukraine’s latest strikes targeting Moscow’s energy sector as Kyiv looks to deprive its neighbor of critical revenue.
The new missile exceeds the ranges of the ground- and air-launched missiles Ukraine received from its Western partners. The weapon comes as Kyiv’s booming defense industry becomes increasingly self-reliant.
The Neptune is part of a growing arsenal of homemade munitions as Ukraine looks to strengthen its deep-strike capabilities with missiles and drones. Kyiv has used its arsenal to hit key Russian airfields, ammunition storage warehouses, and energy facilities.
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