Following the example of other European nations, Romania plans to collaborate with Ukraine to advance the R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles.
According to Army Recognition, in April 2023, it was announced that the Ukrainian defense industry was working on modernizing the R-360 Neptune, but the final outcomes of these modernization efforts remain uncertain.
Read more: Ukraine’s General Staff Hint at a Neptune Missile Strike on the russian Base Near Kursk
Unlike the French SCALP-EG missiles, which are launched from the air, the Neptune missiles are launched from the ground and can target both land and sea objectives with a range of up to 400 kilometers.
The R-360 Neptune is a subsonic cruise missile developed by the Ukrainian company Luch Design Bureau.
It was first presented at the 2015 Arms and Security International Exhibition in Kyiv and entered service with the Ukrainian Navy in 2021. The Neptune missile, weighing 870 kg and measuring 5.05 meters in length, is designed to target naval vessels with a displacement of up to 9,000 tons. It has an operational range of over 200 kilometers and can strike sea and land targets in its land-attack variant. The missile is equipped with a Motor Sich MS400 turbofan engine and improved targeting, and electronic systems compared to its Soviet predecessor, the Kh-35.
The Neptune missile system includes mobile launchers, transport/reload vehicles, command and control vehicles, and special transport trucks. The system is designed to operate up to 25 kilometers inland from the coast. In operational tests and combat scenarios, the Neptune has demonstrated its effectiveness, notably in the attack on the russian cruiser Moskva in 2022.
Ukraine is currently working on extending the missile's range to 1,000 kilometers and increasing production.
Read more: Ukraine's Neptune Missile Now Able to Strike Targets in russia: Port Kavkaz on Fire
