Strikes On Moscow Are Possible: Ukrainian Modernized Neptune Missile’s Capabilities

Military expert Roman Svitan revealed the details.

Ukrainian Deputy Defence Minister Ivan Havrilyuk said that Ukraine continues to develop a new Neptune missile. One of its advantages will be the ability to strike on the Russian territory, which will not be limited by partner restrictions.

Roman Svitan, an AFU reserve colonel, instructor pilot, and military expert, told 24 Channel about this. He is convinced that the potential of the Ukrainian missile will allow it to destroy Russian targets far behind the lines.

What could be the new modification of the Neptune?

The development of a new version of the Neptune missile capable of destroying ground targets was in the plans of the developers even before the start of the full-scale invasion. The Armed Forces of Ukraine needed weapons to destroy ground targets at a distance of more than 300 kilometres.

As of February 24, 2022, Ukraine’s longest-range weapon was the Tochki-U (about 120 km range).

“The range of any transonic cruise missile is determined by the amount of fuel it can carry. By and large, such a missile is a tube with wings, which has an engine in the rear, a control system in the middle and a warhead on the top,” Svitan explained the structure of the Neptune.

Accordingly, the more fuel the missile has, the greater its range will be. Typically, increases in range are achieved either by reducing the warhead or by increasing the volume of the missile. This is what Ukrainian designers are most likely working on now.

“500 kilometers (preassemble range of the modernized Neptune missile – Ed.) is the distance to Moscow. It is now very important for us to transfer military operations to the enemy territory. It is around Moscow that has the largest concentration of military facilities,” said the military expert.

However, the final completion of modernization and its industrial scaling is not as easy as it might seem.

The upgraded version of the Neptune missile will essentially be a new rocket because it will need to be redesigned and it will need new launchers.