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Ukraine’s Long-Range Neptune Missile Breaks Cover—Bigger, Stronger, and Built to Strike Deep
Ukraine has officially revealed its long-rumored long-range Neptune cruise missile, a weapon capable of striking targets up to 1,000 kilometers away. The missile—unofficially dubbed the “Long Neptune”—was shown publicly for the first time in a government video released on Independence Day.
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![Photo of Vlad Litnarovych]( "Photo of Vlad Litnarovych")
Ukraine has for the first time publicly shown its long-range version of the R-360 Neptune cruise missile—known unofficially as the “Long Neptune,” Ukrainian defense media outlet Defense Express reported on August 25.
The missile reportedly completed testing back in March 2025 and has already been used in combat against Russian targets at ranges up to 1,000 kilometers.
Міноборони вперше показало так званий "Довгий Нептун" — далекобійну версію української протикорабельної ракети.
— 5 канал 🇺🇦 (@5channel) August 25, 2025
Фрагмент на 1:18 pic.twitter.com/nax98HG7z3
Although development of the weapon has been known since November 2023, no images of it had ever surfaced—until now.
On Ukraine’s Independence Day, the government’s official defense portal Zbroya released a video featuring the missile, likely alongside other new weapons systems. The footage did not identify it by name, but the distinctive folding X-shaped wings left little doubt.
Combat-proven since March, but kept under wraps
Ukrainian officials have previously confirmed that the “Long Neptune” is intended to strike land targets.
“If the Long Neptune has been hitting Russian targets since March, its appearance is hardly a surprise to Moscow,” one analyst noted.
A larger, more powerful Neptune
Visual comparisons with the original anti-ship R-360 reveal significant differences. The rear section, housing the engine, appears unchanged. But the missile’s central fuselage has been extended and widened—its diameter increased from 38 cm to roughly 50 cm, making room for additional fuel.
The missile’s overall length exceeds 6 meters without the booster, about 1.5 meters longer than the standard R-360. Its wings and tail surfaces are also larger to balance the increased launch weight. The warhead’s exact specifications remain classified; the original R-360 carried a 150-kg warhead.
The Zbroya portal, which published the video, was created as a government hub for Ukraine’s defense industry and as a unifying brand for domestically produced weapons.
Originally overseen by the Ministry of Strategic Industries, the platform is now managed by the Ministry of Defense following the ministry’s dissolution in July 2025.
Earlier, Ukrainian photographer Efrem Lukatsky published the first images of the new long-range cruise missile “Flamingo,” which has reportedly entered serial production.
The photographs, taken on August 14 at a facility of the Ukrainian defense company Fire Point, show the missile in assembly. According to Lukatsky, the system is designed to strike targets at distances of more than 3,000 kilometers.
