Ukraine has unveiled the updated version of its domestically produced Neptune missile, now capable of striking targets at up to 1,000 kilometers (625 miles) with a heavier 260-kilogram (570-pound) warhead.
According to the Defense Express outlet, the “Neptune D” system, based on the RK360L missile, was revealed in a video released for Ukraine’s Independence Day by the manufacturer Zbroya, alongside Bohdana 155mm howitzers and naval drones.
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The upgraded missile features a larger body, reportedly about six meters (19.7 feet) long and 50 centimeters (1.6 feet) in diameter, allowing for greater fuel capacity and a more powerful warhead.
At 1,000 kilometers (625 miles), its range is 3.5 times greater than the original Neptune’s 280-300 kilometers (175-187.5 miles).
It was only at the beginning of this month that arms maker Zbroya revealed the specifications of its cruise missile. Developers managed to boost both range and warhead weight – an unusual achievement, as extended range typically comes at the expense of payload.
Designers also said the missile includes the ability to adjust the balance between fuel load and combat weight.
The missile is said to retain the capability to engage both land and sea targets, including moving objects. Though details of its guidance remain classified, references to ship-targeting suggest it still carries an active radar homing head.
Reports indicate the RK360L has been adapted for complex overland missions. Firstly, developers enabled takeoff and sustained flight over variable terrain, which is far more complex than flying over relatively flat stretches of water. Second, they ensured the missile could follow a preset route without relying on satellite navigation.
Thirdly, they developed systems to allow the missile to accurately strike ground targets –considered much harder than hitting large metal ships against the background of open sea.
The Neptune was first deployed in 2021 as an anti-ship cruise missile with a 150-kilogram (330-pound) warhead and a range of about 300 kilometers (188 miles). It hit the headlines in April 2022 when it sank Russia’s Black Sea flagship, the Moskva.
In 2023, the Militarnyi outlet suggested that although the Neptune system was originally designed for a maximum range of 360 kilometers (225 miles), extending its reach is relatively straightforward. Powered by an MC-400 kerosene-fueled turbojet engine, the missile’s range can be increased by enlarging its internal fuel tanks or adding an external tank, the report reads.
In late 2023, Deputy Defense Minister Lt. Gen. Ivan Havrylyuk confirmed that scientists were working on a “Long Neptune” upgrade but withheld further details for security reasons. Kyiv Post followed up with the Ministry of Defense and the manufacturer Ukroboronprom at the time, but both declined to comment, citing state secrecy.
President Volodymyr Zelensky later confirmed in March 2025 that the missile’s strike range had been extended to the new range.
The upgraded weapon is believed to have been used in a May attack on Russia’s Novorossiysk naval port, a distance of more than 750 kilometers (470 miles) – one of the longest-range conventional strikes achieved by Ukraine since the full-scale invasion.