The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence announced today that it will set up three naval teams to handle Neptune coastal missile system in 2021.
“Next year, the Ukrainian Navy will form three divisions of the RK-360MC ground-based cruise missile coastal complex. They will be deployed near Black and Azov Seas,” the MoD said in a Twitter statement today.
“Immediately after their installation, one of the batteries of the Neptune complex will be put on combat duty,” Rear Admiral Oleksiy Neizhpapa, Commander of the Ukrainian Navy was quoted as saying by Army Inform.
Neptune Anti-Ship Missile System
The Neptune uses the newest cruise missile P-360. The P-360 missile weighs 870 kg, the warhead weights 150 kg, and its range is up to 300 km. The missile's speed is about 900 km/h, and the altitude is from 3 to 10 meters.
It is possible to launch 24 missiles simultaneously with a full volley of 6 missile systems. Pause between launches is from 3 to 5 seconds. The system can be deployed up to 25 km from the coastline. The required time for its deployment is up to 15 minutes.
Neptune missiles are designed to destroy enemy ships with a displacement of up to 5000 tons, as well as ground targets. The systems were developed on the basis of the Soviet Kh-35 missile.