Ukraine shows off long-range cruise missile, capable of striking 1,000 km away PHOTO

On the occasion of Ukraine’s Independence Day, the country officially revealed its highly anticipated long-range variant of the R-360 Neptune cruise missile, unofficially dubbed the “Long Neptune.”

This missile, capable of striking targets up to 1,000 kilometres away, was showcased publicly for the first time in a government-released video, marking a significant milestone in Ukraine’s defence capabilities, Caliber.Az reports, citing foreign media.

Ukrainian media outlet reported on August 25 that the “Long Neptune” had completed testing as early as March 2025 and has already been deployed in combat against Russian targets at extended ranges. While the development of this weapon had been known since November 2023, no visual evidence had emerged until now.

The official video, published by Ukraine’s defence portal, revealed the missile alongside other advanced weapon systems. Although the footage did not explicitly name the weapon, its distinctive folding X-shaped wings left little doubt about its identity.

“If the Long Neptune has been hitting Russian targets since March, its appearance is hardly a surprise to Moscow,” an analyst commented, underscoring the strategic impact of the missile’s operational deployment.

A detailed visual comparison between the original anti-ship R-360 Neptune and the newly revealed “Long Neptune” highlights substantial modifications. The rear section, which houses the engine, remains largely unchanged, but the missile’s central fuselage has been both lengthened and widened—its diameter increased from 38 cm to approximately 50 cm to accommodate additional fuel for extended range.

The overall length of the missile exceeds six meters without the booster, about 1.5 metres longer than the standard R-360. To compensate for the increased launch weight, the wings and tail surfaces have also been enlarged. Although the precise specifications of the warhead remain classified, the original R-360 carried a 150-kilogram warhead.

In related developments, Ukrainian photographer Efrem Lukatsky recently published the first images of another new long-range cruise missile system—the “Flamingo.” The missile, currently in serial production at the Ukrainian defence company Fire Point, is reportedly designed to strike targets at distances exceeding 3,000 kilometers. The photographs, taken on August 14, show the missile in various stages of assembly, signaling yet another leap forward in Ukraine’s indigenous missile technology.

By Vafa Guliyeva