Ukraine Orders Neptune Ship-Killing Missile System

Ukraine’s state-owned Ukroboronprom has announced that the military has placed an order for a new anti-ship cruise missile system.

“The State Kyiv Design Bureau LUCH and the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine have signed a contract for the delivery of RK-360MC Neptune coastal defense system to the Army in 2021,” the company said in a statement.

Per the contract, the Ukrainian army will receive utility launchers, transport and transport-charging vehicles, as well as a mobile command post, where all the information necessary for the operation of the complex is concentrated. The contract reportedly covers delivery of one Neptune battery consisting of six USPU-360 launchers and 24 R-360 ship-killer missiles.

Neptune is equipped with cruise missiles that fly at very low altitudes for a distance of about 300 km. The rocket has a starting and marching (main) engines. The first is a modified solid propellant launch accelerator from the S-125 anti-aircraft missile. The main turbojet engine MS-400 is manufactured by Motor Sich.

The homing head for the missile, which has ultra-high viewing angles and is able to detect and capture a target at a distance of up to 50 km, was developed by the Radionics company.

The Neptune complex was adopted by the Armed Forces of Ukraine on August 23, 2020.

The R-360 missile weighs 870 kg; the weight of its warhead is 150 kg; its launch range is up to 280 km and its speed is about 900 km/h. It is able to get at a height of from 3-10 m above the surface. The complex can simultaneously launch up to 24 missiles, i.e. a full salvo of 6 launchers, with an interval of launches in a salvo being from 3-5 seconds. The complex can be located at a distance of up to 25 km from the coastline, and its deployment lasts up to 15 minutes.

Delivery of Second Modernized L-39M1 Jet to Ukrainian Military

Odessa Aviation Plant State Enterprise handed over a modernized L-39M1 training aircraft to the Ukrainian military.

The aircraft is equipped with modernized aircraft engines AI-25TLSH with improved technical characteristics, which allows in conjunction with the installed modern system of objective control BUR-4-1-07 to expand the range of training and significantly increase the safety of flight training. The jet is equipped with a modern aircraft on-board training complex BTK-39, with the aircraft controls, sighting head, and individual cabin elements made in this way, to bring the cockpit information field as close as possible to the information field of attack aircraft.