Ukrainian Navy Reportedly Uses Neptune Missiles to Destroy Russian Air Defense Battery in Crimea
In a bold move, the Ukrainian navy reportedly utilized its Neptune anti-ship missiles in the missiles’ secondary land-attack mode to blow up a Russian air force S-400 air-defense battery in western Crimea. The attack took place on Wednesday and marks a significant escalation in the ongoing conflict between Ukraine and Russia.
The Neptune missile, weighing one ton, boasts the capability to strike targets on the ground, making its successful attack on the S-400 battery less surprising. The Ukrainian Luch Design Bureau based the Neptune on the Russian Kh-35 missile, which, in turn, was modeled after the American Harpoon anti-ship missile. Notably, the Harpoon missile also features a land-attack mode.
The Russian air force deployed the S-400 battery to Cape Tarkhankut in Crimea in 2016, two years after Russia invaded the strategic peninsula. With the attached Podlet K1 radar, the S-400 system had the ability to detect and strike aircraft and missiles up to 200 miles away. This provided Russia control over the entire western Black Sea, including the port of Odesa in southern Ukraine.
The S-400 battery, the Podlet radar, and other weapons stationed at Cape Tarkhankut, such as the Bastion anti-ship missile system, were high-priority targets for Ukraine. In an effort to enhance their deep-strike capability, Ukraine acquired American-made ground-launched Harpoon anti-ship missiles, British Storm Shadow missiles, and French SCALP missiles.
Additionally, Ukraine developed its own deep-strike munitions, including modified S-200 ground-launched air-defense missiles and the Neptune anti-ship missiles, which famously sank the Russian navy cruiser Moscow in April 2022.
The Neptune, a low-flying and subsonic missile, is highly suitable for land-attack operations, following the footsteps of its Kh-35 and Harpoon predecessors. To equip the original Harpoon with a land-attack mode, Boeing, the American missile-maker, added GPS-aided inertial navigation to the Block II model in the late 1990s, enhancing its precision.
Interestingly, Luch incorporated GPS into the Neptune from the beginning and recently made additional tweaks to optimize the missile’s seeker for land-attack missions. With an impressive range of 225 miles, a Neptune battery positioned in Odesa could strike Russian forces across most of Crimea, offering a safe distance from retaliation.
The successful strike on the S-400 battery might be the first time Ukraine has employed the modified Neptune in combat. Russian air force officials are likely questioning why their best air-defense system failed to intercept the Neptune missiles that ultimately destroyed it.
Although the strike on the S-400 battery did not inflict damage on the Bastion anti-ship missile system as initially claimed, it is anticipated that the upgraded Neptune will continue to be deployed against Russian forces in Crimea. The Ukrainian offensive is expected to escalate, and the Bastion system could be the next target on their list.
As tensions rise between Ukraine and Russia, all eyes are on the evolving conflict and the weapons being deployed. The situation remains highly volatile, and further developments are anticipated.