AIN Online:
UkrOboronProm (UOP), the head organization of the Ukrainian defense industry companies, has announced that the country has successfully conducted a trial launch of the new Neptun cruise missile. Developed by the lead contractor, the State Kiev Design Bureau “Luch,” the cruise missile hit a maritime target at a distance of 100 km (62 miles). The principal supporting contractors are Motor Sich (engine), Radioniks (guidance), and the Kharkiv Aviation Factory (airframe).
“We continue to strengthen the defense capabilities of our armed forces,” Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko commented on the national news. The secretary of the National Security and Defense Council (RNBO), Oleksandr Turchinov, noted that the creation of a new cruise missile was an essential element and a significant increase in the effectiveness of coastal defense, which will receive weapons capable of attacking the enemy at long range.
He stressed that the new capability provides reliable defense of the Black Sea and Azov Sea coasts, adding, “If necessary, even the home bases and ports of the enemy vessels could be hit by the new weapon system.” It is worth noting that in 2018, tension between units of the Russian Black Sea navy and the Ukrainian naval forces dramatically increased. Russia accused Ukraine of seizing its ships, which Kiev strongly denied.
