Germany to Fund Development of New Long Range Missile in Ukraine

Germany plans to provide funding to Ukraine for the development and mass production of cruise missiles with a range of up to 2,500 kilometers.

During Wednesday's meeting between Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz in Berlin, new military assistance to Ukraine will be announced Including technical components that will allow Ukraine to create cruise missiles.

The models of missiles and their components are not specified. However, there is speculation that this include a longer range version of Ukraine-made “Neptune” missile.

In March, Zelenskyy had announced that Ukraine had increased the launch range of the domestic anti-ship Neptune cruise missile to 1,000 kilometers.

It should be noted that Ukrainian cruise missiles of the Neptune complex have been used by the Defense Forces for a long time to strike important assets of the Russian military.

The adaptation of the Neptune anti-ship missile to destroy ground targets was first  reported  in April 2023. At that time, a representative of the Ukrainian defense ministry reported that designers were working on modifying the missile to destroy ground targets.

"Long Neptune" can be launched from the same launcher as the anti-ship version of this cruise missile R-360 "Neptune". The missile received a new guidance system and a satellite positioning system for control on the marching section of the flight. And on the final segment of the flight, guidance is carried out using an infrared homing system.