Ukrainian source revealed details of new turbojet subsonic cruise anti-ship missile, that called the Neptune.
Few details are known about the new Neptune, but Secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council Oleksandr Turchynov confirmed on Twitter that it will be an anti-ship cruise missile capable of hitting targets located as far as up to 300 km away.
The Neptune missile developed by the State Design Bureau ‘LUCH’ can be launched from ships, coastal mobile missile complex and combat aircraft with the help of a rocket booster that was tested in Odesa region, Ukraine on 18 August.
The new cruise missile system will be used to guard straits and territorial waters, to protect offshore sea lines, naval bases, coastal infrastructure, as well as to defend the coast at amphibious landing threat directions within the missile launch range.
The Neptun missile is an anti-ship cruise missile featuring a normal aerodynamic configuration with cruciform wings and fins and a semisubmerged air duct intake.
The missile is guided to its target at the final leg of the trajectory by commands fed from the active radar homing head and the radio altimeter.
According to state defense industry holding UkrOboronProm, the Neptune can sink warships with displacements of up to 5,000 tons which would include all of the Russian landing ships and frigates currently in service.
The Neptune missile also has low signatures thanks to its small dimensions, sea-skimming capability and a special guidance algorithm ensuring highly secure operational modes of the active radar seeker.
