Ukraine claims its new Neptune missiles can destroy Russian ships in Novorossiysk
The new Ukrainian cruise missile Neptune is capable of "reaching" the ships of the Russian fleet in the port of Novorossiysk, stated the Ukrainian military expert Mikhail Zhikhorov in his article in the newspaper "Business Capital".
"Theoretically, the range of the missile allows the system to reach the targets around the occupied Crimea, and from the coast of the Sea of Azov - to ships near the port of Novorossiysk," the expert says.
He noted that Neptune was originally designed to deter the Russian Black Sea Fleet. At the same time, he wrote that, "on paper”, the Russian navy has all the capabilities to repel even a mass attack of new missiles.
The expert at the same time expressed doubt that after the recent tests of Neptune Ukraine will find funds for its industrial production. In addition, according to Zhikhorov, during the combat, the new missile system should be protected by a mobile anti-aircraft missile system, which Kyiv does not yet have.
The Ukrainian military successfully tested cruise anti-ship missile at the Alibey test site in the Odesa region on June 18.
The Neptune P-360 missile weighs 870 kg, the warhead weights 150 kg, and its range is up to 280 km. The missile's speed is about 900 km/h, and the altitude is from 3 to 10 meters.
It is possible to launch 24 missiles simultaneously with a full volley of 6 missile systems. Pause between launches is from 3 to 5 seconds. The system can be deployed up to 25 km from the coastline. The required time for its deployment is up to 15 minutes.
Neptune missiles are designed to destroy enemy ships with a displacement of up to 5 thousand tons, as well as ground targets. Their development in Ukraine has been conducted by State Design Bureau Luch since 2013. The systems were developed on the basis of the Soviet Kh-35 missile.