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
A Thread on The Troubled Development of the Sapsan Ballistic Missile, Ukraine’s ATACMS. 1/19
I see a lot of people being confused when referring to this system, switching between Hirm, Grom-2 or Sapsan, hopefully this thread will clarify the situation. 2/19
Back in 2006 the National Security and Defence Concil of Ukraine looked for a system to replace the ageing Totchka-U ballistic missile with its 120km range. Design of that system was given to the Pivdenne Design Bureau known for their work on Soviet ICMBs and rockets. 3/19
🧵A Thread on China’s New Family of Anti-Ship Cruise Missiles: The YJ-18. 1/17
While the genesis pf the YJ-18 is unclear, it seems to originate from the studies launched by the PRC in 2000 to support its A2/AD strategies and counter the Aegis Combat System. CASIC’s Third Academy led the design process for this new class of anti-ship cruise missiles. 2/17
First public mentions of the YJ-18 started to appear in 2009 in metallurgical research papers, and in August 2010 a US documents first referred to it as the CH-SS-NX-13. Testing was finalized in 2013, it entered active service in 2014, and was paraded in October 2019. 3/17
🧵A Thread on the US’ AIM-174B and China’s YJ-12 Carrier Killer Cruise Missile: A Dance of the Vampires with Chinese Characteristics. 1/17
In light of recent events with the unveiling of the US’s new AIM-174B, let’s discuss the threat it’s mostly meant to counter, the YJ-12. 2/17
In 1995-1996, the US’s display of power during the Third Taiwan Strait Crisis, sending both the USS Independence and USS Nimitz carriers, profoundly shocked the PRC’s leadership. This strengthened the Chinese ambition to develop weapons powerful enough to threaten US CSGs. 3/17
Chinese Anti-Ship Missiles and the French Connection : the YJ-8 / YJ-83 Family. 1/23 🧵
In the early 1970s, seeking a replacement for their ageing P-15 Termit, the People’s Liberation Army Navy (PLAN) expressed the need for a new anti-ship missile, kick-starting a new prolific family of Western inspired missiles still in use today. 2/23
Development by CASIC’s Third Academy was initiated in 1976. Eventually after initial difficulties and tests in 1985 the design of the YJ-8 was finalized as a subsonic sea skimming missile with a 42km range, guided via INS with an active radar seeker for its terminal phase. 3/23
The ANS/ANF, the Cold War Franco-German supersonic antiship missile project, a short thread . 1/16 🧵
In the late 70s, the emergence of new Soviet supersonic antiship missiles like the SS-N-22 Sunburn started to worry NATO member states. As such in 1975 the NATO Project Group 16 started to work on a new antiship missile to replace the Exocet and Harpoon. 2/16
This group composed of France, the UK, the Federal Republic of Germany, the US, the Netherlands, Italy and Norway finished their detailed study by 1978 of the Advanced Surface to Surface Missile II (ASSM II), a 180km Mach 2 missile. 3/16
🧵Thread on the US Air Force’s cursed stealthy nuclear cruise missile: the AGM-129. 1/28
The tragic story of the AGM-129 is representative of disruptive but troublesome programs like the B-2 or F-22. Designed to fight a bygone enemy, they brought significant improvements in stealth to a post Cold-War world that no longer had a need for them. 2/28
In the mid-70s the US Air Force relied on the AGM-86 to carry on the air launch leg of the nuclear triad. The subsonic missile relied on its low flying abilities to ensure its survivability against Soviet air defenses. 3/28