First official images of the Ukrainian "Long Neptune" missile with a range of 1000 km have appeared

A long-range version of the Ukrainian cruise missile, known only by the unofficial name "Long Neptune" and capable of striking the enemy at a distance of 1000 km, was publicly demonstrated for the first time. Although the missile has been under development since 2023, until today there has been no image of it anywhere, writes UNN with reference to Defence.ua and the state portal "Zbroya".

Details

The long-range version of the R-360 "Neptune" cruise missile, known as "Long Neptune", passed tests in March of this year and strikes the enemy at a range of 1000 km. On Ukraine's Independence Day, a video was released on the official account of the state portal "Zbroya", in which, most likely, this missile is demonstrated along with other samples of Ukrainian weaponry.

In the video itself, it is not named in any way. It is also worth adding that the launch videos are old, shot during the fire tests of the "Neptune" coastal complex in 2018-2020 

It is specified that no characteristics of this missile have been disclosed yet. At the same time, the range parameter of 1000 km was announced earlier, as was the fact that the missile is designed to hit ground targets. It is noted that if "Long Neptune" has been flying to the enemy since March, then its appearance is unlikely to be a surprise to them.

The publication assumes that the tail section of the missile, where the engine is located, has not undergone changes, and therefore it can be taken as a "reference point" for scale. This also means that the length of the "Long Neptune" is more than 6 meters (without a booster). That is, it is approximately 1.5 meters longer than the R-360.

The central part of the "Long Neptune" fuselage was increased in diameter, from approximately 38 cm to 50 cm. In other words, the new missile is not only longer, but also "thicker". Obviously, this is due to the need to increase fuel. At the same time, the nose cone has the same diameter.

Of course, the area of the wings and tail unit also increased, which should compensate for the greater take-off weight. As for the weight of the warhead, in the old version it was 150 kg, as for the "Long Neptune", these parameters are unknown

Addition

President Zelensky stated that Ukraine uses its own long-range weapons to strike Russian territory. He denied reports of restrictions from the United States, emphasizing that this issue was never discussed.

The Ukrainian defense company "Fire Point" developed the "Flamingo" FP-5 cruise missile, capable of carrying a 1150 kg warhead and flying 3000 km. The missile is already in serial production, with plans to produce about 200 units per month.