Thread by @VLS_Appreciator

Thread on Ukraine’s Neptune: The Underdog That Struck Back. 1/20

Following the Russo-Ukrainian intergovernmental agreement on industrial, scientific and technical cooperation of the 18th November 1993, the Luch design bureau received an X-35 (Kh-35) missile from Zvezda-Strela. 2/20

From there the development of the RK-360MC Neptune development started in 2010 as a collaboration between Artem Luch and Sich Motors. While slow at first, development rapidly accelerated after the 2014 Crimean annexation. 3/20

As the low finesse nose cone suggests, the missile flies only at subsonic speeds, powered by the MC-400 turbofan following the initial booster burn. Here the solid fuelled sustainer is clearly visible with the dorsal heat exchangers. 4/20

Volume and platform integration ease were prioritized leading to its cylindrical axisymmetric body. While in Exocet’s lineage as a sea-skimming missile, it takes more cues from the Harpoon with its three sets of control surfaces arranged in an X pattern. 5/20

The large wings near the missile’s center of gravity is consistent with its subsonic flight regime giving it added stability, efficiency and manoeuvrability. It seems that only the tail control surfaces are used for guidance. 6/20

Reaching a total of 870kg, with 280km+ range, the missile was guided via to its target, assisted via INS, before using an active radar for terminal guidance. 7/20

As the war highlighted the needs for land attack vectors, a new version the Neptune-MD emerged optimized for that task. It is said to have a longer range, a GPS guidance and an imagining infra-red seeker for terminal detection. 8/20

The IIR seeker would be vital as ground clutter would hinder its active radar. The IIR seeker could be housed in a chin mount as an interim solution as was seen on the North Korean equivalent of the Neptune. 9/20

Such modifications giving land attack, or easier littoral acquisitions, capabilities for antiship missiles were observed for the Chinese YJ-83. Chin mounts were installed directly by units before a dedicated windowed nosecone was adopted. 10/ 20

This obtruding part near the tip of the missile could be a housing for such as seeker, not seen in earlier promotional material, but it does not look the part. It could also be a datalink antenna. I would be curious if anyone has info on it. 11/20

Following its public unveiling at the Kyiv 2015 Arms and Security International exhibition, the missile went into testing from March 22nd 2016 to April 6th 2019, notably reaching a target 100Km off of Odessa in 2017. It was accepted into operational service in March 2021. 12/20

A Neptune battery is composed of 6 USPU-360 mobile launchers with 4 Neptune each, and 6 reload vehicles. 13/20

Alongside the various support trucks the battery is centred around the engagement module, here visited by Petro Poroshenko, and the radar module with its Mineral-U radar. 14/20

Eary use following the Russia war of aggression in Feb. 2022 proved disappointing with a first failed launch and another partial fail revealing a general failure linked to a single piece. It is unclear if it was sabotage or build quality issues. 15/20

On April 3rd 2022 a Neptune struck the Admiral Grigorovitch class frigate Admiral Essen, damaging it but not sinking the vessel. However only a few days later the Neptune famously sunk the Moskva ~135km off Odessa on the night of the 14th April 2022. 16/20

Interestingly research showed that abnormal meteorological conditions extended the reach of the Ukrainian’s radar allowing them to successfully detect and strike the Moskva. () 17/20 journals.ametsoc.org/view/journals/…

High level political statements have been made stressing the need to increase the slow production since 2022. The series of strike from March 27th 2024 to August 22nd seems to indicate at least a moderate rate of a few missiles per months being produced. 18/ 20

Still numbers are low and this design was not originally optimised for such missions where a different shape emphasizing range and stealth would have been welcomed. Future evolutions are planned with a Romanian collaboration announced on the August 2nd. 19/20

Despite setbacks, the Neptune embodies the Ukrainian resilience and tenacity against all odds, starting as a relatively obscure project that went on to sink the Moskva, hard to find a stronger symbol. 20/20

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