R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missile

Probably worth starting with a description of the weapon itself. It appears to be a development of the Kh-35 Uran (SS-N-25, nicknamed "Harpoonski" for it's resemblance in size to the US Harpoon) The attached PDF is a page from the State Kyiv Design Bureau brochure with the official specs. The ability to launch from 25km inland of the coast is significant, since it dramatically expands the area one would have to cover to find the launcher.

First operational units apparently delivered in March.
 

Attachments

  • SE SKDB LUCH -- Neptune.pdf
    291.2 KB · Views: 48
So, is Slava dead or alive ? We presently have a Schrodinger cruiser... Ukrainian says "we sunk the hell out of it" Russians answer "nah, it is under way to safety, although still burning..."

This is Ukraine Styx / Eilat (1967), Exocet / Sheffield (1982) moment...
 
So, is Slava dead or alive ? We presently have a Schrodinger cruiser... Ukrainian says "we sunk the hell out of it" Russians answer "nah, it is under way to safety, although still burning..."

This is Ukraine Styx / Eilat (1967), Exocet / Sheffield (1982) moment...

Already being discussed elsewhere, and there is good reason to separate the Moskva discussion from the technical discussion of Neptune.

 
So, is Slava dead or alive ? We presently have a Schrodinger cruiser... Ukrainian says "we sunk the hell out of it" Russians answer "nah, it is under way to safety, although still burning..."

This is Ukraine Styx / Eilat (1967), Exocet / Sheffield (1982) moment...
This is for just technical stuff on the Neptune there is an existing thread in The Bar for the other stuff.
 
Neptune as a development of the Soviet 3M24 makes an interesting contrast to its Russian counterpart, the Kh-35U, with both aiming for range improvements but doing so in different ways. As the turbojet engine of the original missile was supplied by a Ukrainian manufacturer, the Russians substituted a more efficient, domestically produced turbofan while keeping airframe size largely the same. Due to the greater diameter of the new engine, it is installed in an off-center, semi-submerged configuration as opposed to fully buried as in 3M24 and Neptune.

The latter meanwhile significantly increased length and weight to accommodate more fuel (fair enough, the basic 3M24 is extremely compact). This apparently required the Ukrainians to develop a new booster, which unlike its Russian equivalent is smokeless (or at least reduced smoke). Neptune also has an interesting seeker that appears to use a different principle to the conventional slotted array of the 3M24 (shown on the first photo below, not sure about the Kh-35U). Might be AESA (second photo)?

1_BXC7PVQjIuRrjh1uJUIdrQ.png IF5nGfv.jpg

Where it gets really intriguing is the North Korean KN-19 AShM, which is generally held to be a 3M24 development. If you examine available footage of it more closely, it seems to be less of a direct clone of the Soviet original, the Kh-35U or a "third way" than a Neptune copy though. It retains the buried engine, has the longer airframe and the booster is smokeless! Since Russia seems to be actively supporting the *South* in missile development (KM-SAM/S-350 and more pertinently the Oniks-like supersonic AShM), aid to the North seems unlikely.

Note: I'm not saying the Ukrainians must have necessarily been aiding NK actively, either. Given its proclivities for cyber espionage and similar shady dealings, there are plenty of other ways how it might have obtained the tech. Consider the KN-24 SRBM which is essentially an ATACMS clone - do we seriously expect the US to have lent a hand here? Thought so :)

EDIT: To illustrate - first pic, very smoky Kh-35U booster exhaust and semi-exposed, short-duct engine; second, KN-19. Compare and contrast with the Nepture photo in Abingdon's post above...

34raehtyz.png rgdxeuztz.png
 
Last edited:

Satellite Image Pinpoints Russian Cruiser Moskva As She Burned​


1650224432165.png
 
What if Neptune could be rebuilt as a cruise missile to hit targets on the ground
 
What if Neptune launchers could be compatible with Harpoon...

Oh, wait, reportedly, they are....

Probably a very powerful statement from the Biden administration, that even took the risk to make a statement before the events.

Meanwhile, in France, no Puma Helicopters have been yet delivered....
 
What if Neptune launchers could be compatible with Harpoon...

Oh, wait, reportedly, they are....

Probably a very powerful statement from the Biden administration, that even took the risk to make a statement before the events.

Meanwhile, in France, no Puma Helicopters have been yet delivered....
maybe the guiding head it is from harpoon put on body of neptune
 
What if Neptune launchers could be compatible with Harpoon...

Oh, wait, reportedly, they are....

Probably a very powerful statement from the Biden administration, that even took the risk to make a statement before the events.

Meanwhile, in France, no Puma Helicopters have been yet delivered....

Source for the claim that Harpoon and Neptune are compatible. It seems unlikely on first glance.

And what Biden Administration statement are you talking about?

maybe the guiding head it is from harpoon put on body of neptune

This seems very unlikely. Ukraine has been working on Neptune for quite a few years and have shown a very credible looking seeker (above) that is NOT Harpoon's.
 
Last edited:
View: https://twitter.com/NavyLookout/status/1602689522298486784
 
IMO, the bigger question is what UAV filmed it all and how did the Russians miss that....
 
IMO, the bigger question is what UAV filmed it all and how did the Russians miss that....
If it one of the thousand and one civil drones or similar size ones?

Those basically have the ultimate form of Stealth.

For the highest level of stealth isn't becoming invisible.
Its not even trying to stay hidden anymore, it just letting people unsee you of their own free will.

The radar cross section on those are so small they get filter out with the rest of the junk.

Or it so damn close it is inside of the radar minimum range.

Those radars are not optimized for finding drones, that the job for the Shorad types for a reason.

And as everyone who ever heard but never could spot a Plane understand that trying to find something in the sky is hard.
 
Defence Updates has just put out a video about the destruction of the SA-21 battery:


On 23rd August, Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate stated that it destroyed an S-400 Triumpf surface-to-air missile system in Crimea.
The attack took place around 10 a.m. local time near the village of Olenivka on Cape Tarkhankut.
Defence Intelligence of Ukraine announced said in the Telegram channel. “As a result of the explosion, the installation itself, the missiles installed on it, and the personnel were completely destroyed.
”The video shared starts with a perspective from a drone, showcasing what they allege to be the S-400 system. In an instant, a vibrant yellow explosion occurs, followed by an expansive eruption of dark gray smoke ascending into the sky. Additionally, there are white smoke trails emerging from the impacted system.
Kyiv had alluded to the deployment of fresh weaponry for executing extended-range attacks within occupied Crimea. Ukrainian journalist Yuriy Butusov has indicated that the R-360 Neptune anti-ship missile, adapted for land-based assault purposes, was put into action for this attack.In this video, Defense Updates analyzes how Ukraine managed to destroy the Russian S-400 system with a Neptune missile ?

I'm not surprised that a land-attack version of the Neptune has been developed (A similar has been done with the AGM-84 Harpoon) and the destruction of that long-range Podlet radar alone will cause serious problems for the Russians if it can't be replaced.
 
Last edited:
только уничтожение этого радара дальнего действия "Подлет
One launcher and one fuel tanker were destroyed. Ukraine can declare anything. No one really knows what got there yet
 
So the photograph proves the complete destruction of the SA-21 battery?
 
This video about the Neptune anti-ship missile from the IDEF2023 video has just been posted onYouTube:


Interesting about the claim to have hit other targets. Neptune has apparently been launched at targets approaching the Ukrianian coast but was either shot down/decoyed or missed. The only potential target that I'm aware of that was struck by AShM, apart from Moskva, was the Vasily Bekh rescue tug that was hit and destroyed by 2 AShM. These were filmed and reported as Harpoon...

View: https://twitter.com/UAWeapons/status/1538455159914876928
 

Similar threads

Back
Top Bottom