After the 2014 Crimea incident and the complicated activities of the separatist forces in the Donbas region of eastern Ukraine
the Kiev government has been working to strengthen its already decaying defense power
With its dire economic conditions Ukraine cannot build a traditional navy and air force
However, missiles and drones will be more affordable, and will be more effective than warships and manned aircraft
In 2021 Ukraine is said to have commissioned a battalion of the first domestic RK-360MT Neptune mobile anti-ship missile
However, to confront the Russian army, this small number is not enough
Neptune anti-ship system is equipped with cruise missiles capable of reaching target at distance of up to 300 km
The missile is based on a design of the Soviet anti-ship missile Kh-35
however Ukrainian constructors substantially improved missile range and electronics
Compared to the Kh-35, the Neptune has a similar design, but has a longer fuselage with more fuel, larger boosters and a number of other modifications
It could be carried and launched from naval, land and air platforms
Development of the Neptun land-based anti-ship missile system was completed in 2019
Ukrainian military trials were completed in 2020
In 2021 a pre-production system was delivered to Ukrainian military for testing
In 2021 Ukrainian MoD funded production of a batch of Neptun coastal defense systems
It was planned that a batch of 18-19 launcher vehicles will be delivered in 2022
Ukrainian military plans to obtain a total of 54 to 90 Neptun launcher vehicles with missiles
In terms of performance the Neptun is generally similar to the Russian Kh-35U.
It has a planned range of up to 280-300 km
It carries a 145 kg High Explosive Fragmentation (HE-FRAG) warhead, should be efficient against vessels with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons.
Neptun uses an inertial navigation system with active radar in the final stages of flight
Currently Ukraine is facing problems in developing the radar of this type of missile
The missile will fly 10-15 meters above the ground
In the terminal stage, it will descend to 3-10 meters above the surface in order to overcome hostile defense systems
Overall the new Ukrainian coastal defense missile system could be an equivalent of a Russian Bal coastal defense system
A typical Neptun coastal defense battery consists of 6 launcher vehicles with a total of 24 anti-ship missiles
Launcher vehicles can be located up to 25 km from the sea
It takes 15 minutes to prepare this coastal defense missile system for firing