There is speculation that the Neptune will more than double the flight and payload range.
On the night of March 24, off the coast of temporarily occupied Sevastopol, the Ukrainian Defense Forces shot down four ships at once. Only one Neptune missile disabled the Ukrainian landing ship Konstantin Olshansky, which was captured by Russia. The scale of the strike, as noted by the media, indicates its serious modernization. What Neptune is capable of now is more than outline.
Why was the decision made to hit the Ukrainian ship?
Konstantin Olshansky was captured by the enemy in 2014 during the occupation of Crimea. Let’s remember that the Russians took the ship by storm. Later, Ukrainian officials were brought aft, and the crew sang the Ukrainian Anthem and shouted “Glory to Ukraine.”
Subsequently, the ship stood in Sevastopol Bay for nine years. But this year, according to the spokesman of the Ukrainian Navy, Dmitry Pletenchuk, the Russians tried to fix it and pass it off as the repaired Minsk, which was hit on September 13, 2023, or the mine Olenegorsk (also destroyed on August 4 , 2023).
armyinform.com.ua/ Ukrainian large landing ship Konstantin Olshansky
The enemy is preparing Konstantin Olshansky for logistics – bringing ammunition.
“This ship will be used against Ukraine. Unfortunately. Therefore, it was decided to shoot down this unit with our Neptune,” explained Pletenchuk.
And the spokesman of the Ukrainian Volunteer Army of the Southern Direction, Sergei Bratchuk, added: “This is the Neptune itself, which at one time very accurately shot at the cruiser Moscow. The defeat occurred exactly when there was a massive attack. When both Yamal and Azov were hit.Neptune is not easy “He’s alive, he’s amazing. I think that a lot of interesting things with Neptune’s participation still await us.”
Official specifications
The R-360 Neptune is an anti-ship cruise missile developed at the Kiev design bureau Luch in 2010-2020. In 2023, a variant was developed for strikes against ground targets.
Visually, it is similar to typical anti-ship missiles in its class: American Haproon, French Exocett, British Sea Eagle or Russian/Soviet X-35.
The missile is designed to destroy ships with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons and a warhead weighing 150 kg. Range – up to 280 km. It has a subsonic speed (900 km/h) and flies at a very low altitude (a few meters above sea level) and can maneuver while flying.
How Neptune improved
Statements about the successful use of the Neptune missile on March 24 mean that the weapon must undergo major modernization, Ukrainian media believe.
The first aspect, as written by the military portal Defense Express, is flight coverage. Because the maximum range of 280 km is almost not enough to launch it in the Crimea in a straight line, without the ability to maneuver and bypass the enemy’s protected air defense zones.
So it can be assumed that unofficial information about a new modification of Neptune with a range of 400 km has been confirmed. Also, the scale of Konstantin Olshansky’s defeat can be indicated increasing payload up to 350 kg. That is, more than twice as much as the main version of the rocket.
However, as the publication notes, Neptune’s main task is to force him to choose the right goalbecause, according to official information, a missile with an active radar homing head can identify and attack ships divided into the conventional categories “small”, “medium”, “large”.
Besides, The Neptune was originally designed to target targets in the high seas only. Therefore, hitting a specific target on a pier or dock, or especially in a bay full of other ships of the same type, requires a completely different approach to missile guidance. Not to mention the fact that the bay is covered by an air defense system and electronic interference.
Besides, Another important aspect is the participation of Neptune in the combined attack. The distribution of targets between the missiles was successful.
“It is a very difficult task to ensure an effective salvo launch, because otherwise all the missiles can hit the same ship. So, all that can be said is that Neptune has improved a lot in recent years and received a new, very important ability.” , – end of Defense Express.
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Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.