Ukraine has launched a project to develop a new long-range strike missile as part of the country’s Defense Growth Program, revealed Lieutenant General Ivan Gavryliuk, Deputy Minister of Defense of Ukraine, in an interview with ArmyInform.
Gavryliuk disclosed ongoing efforts focused on the creation of an extended-range version of the “Neptune” missile.
Details about the new long-range missile and its intended use remain undisclosed by the Ministry of Defense.
Defense Express speculates on the adaptation of the R-360 missile from the “Neptune” complex for ground target destruction. The projected range of this missile could reach 400 km (as opposed to 300 km in the anti-ship version), with a warhead of 350 kg (as opposed to 150 kg).
The ongoing work on the “Neptune” missile appears to be among the listed items under “missile armaments and munitions,” for which Ukraine plans to allocate 175 billion hryvnias next year.
Gavryliuk reiterated that a significant portion of this financial resource would be directed toward bolstering the production capacities of Ukraine’s defense-industrial complex.