After Kiev announced that its “fully modernized” weapon was in use in Crimea, experts said Ukraine was adopting a domestically produced Neptune anti-ship missile to boost its long-range strike capability for a three-month-old counteroffensive.
The improved Neptune missile developed by Kiev on the eve of the country’s all-out war “is part of Ukraine’s recent broader efforts to enhance its long-range strike capabilities,” said Ian Williams, deputy director of the Missile Defense Agency’s Center for Strategic and International Studies s project.
Ukraine’s new Neptune anti-ship missile thought to have destroyed Russia’s Black Sea flagship MoscowThe high-profile embarrassment comes just a few months into the 18-month incursion into the Kremlin.
But in recent weeks, Kiev has teased the development of a Neptune-on-land attack version. Oleksiy Danilov, secretary of Ukraine’s National Security and Defense Council, said in late August a “brand new and completely modern” missile “perfectly” destroyed Russian air defenses in western Crimea system.
An anonymous Ukrainian defense official told reporters that Ukraine uses a modified version of the Neptune missile war zone. The official, speaking on the condition of anonymity, added that the attack was “100% launched by a modified Neptune.”
Analysts say Kiev has adapted as Ukraine’s demand for long-range systems to strike distant Russian targets outstrips its supply Weekly newspaper.
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“In a perfect world, the land attack mission would not be the best use for modern anti-ship missiles, which are specifically designed to sink heavily armored warships at sea,” Williams said.
“But Ukraine faces a real deficit in deep strike systems,” Williams added. Weekly newspaper, which means Kiev is switching to these missiles because it cannot use the American ATACMS tactical ballistic missile system or the German-made Taurus long-range cruise missile. While London and Paris offered the Anglo-French Storm Shadow (SCALP) long-range cruise missiles earlier this year, both Washington and Berlin refused to offer Ukraine the systems.
Williams believes that “Ukraine is adapting and utilizing existing resources,” but this should not be seen as a long-term solution to meet Ukraine’s long-range strike needs.
The attack on Cape Tarhankut in western Crimea late last month “did prove that Ukraine could use Neptune for a land attack that put Russia in a previously safe place,” said Sidhas Kaushal, a researcher at the Royal United Services Corporation. Assets in rear areas are at risk.” Institute for Defense Think Tank.
Kaushal said striking a relatively small target like the S-400, which can intercept air threats, shows that Ukraine has high-quality intelligence and reconnaissance capabilities, and that the ground-attack Neptune may be able to hide obstacles that Russia cannot see The back is close to close. Weekly newspaper. He went on to say that it could also suggest that Neptune might employ countermeasures to prevent detection, or work with jamming devices.
“All of this points to a fairly sophisticated coordination of Ukrainian capabilities,” Kaushal said, although there are many unknowns.
Kaushal added that while it’s hard to tell, one possible difference between the Neptune’s land-attack and anti-ship versions is the guidance system. It may also have “a different seeker that enables the missile to pick out smaller targets from the clutter,” he said.
It’s hard to tell how many Neptune missiles Ukraine might have, but it’s unlikely that the stockpile will be large. Kaushal said it would be difficult to mass-produce such capabilities even in peacetime, and Russia has spared no effort to target Ukraine’s military-industrial base.
