How Ukraine used anti-ship missiles to destroy S-400 in Crimea

Experts believe that Ukraine has converted Neptune anti-ship missiles to destroy Russia's S-400 air defense system in the Crimean peninsula.

The Ukrainian Defense Intelligence Directorate (GUR) announced on August 23 that it had destroyed an S-400 air defense missile system near the village of Olenivka in the Russian-controlled Crimean peninsula. The agency said this was a "painful blow" to Russia's air defense system, causing a "major impact" on future events in the peninsula. Russia has not commented on the information.

Deployed at Crimea’s Tarkhankut cape since 2016, the S-400 is a long-range air defense system that allows Russia to intercept stealth fighters, as well as ballistic and cruise missiles at a distance of up to 400 km. It is the primary target of Ukraine’s attacks on the Crimean peninsula, alongside other modern weapons such as the Bastion missile defense system.

To attack targets on the Crimean peninsula, Ukraine used long-range missiles supplied by the West such as Storm Shadow, while also modifying domestic weapons to increase range and ground attack capabilities.

According to Yuriy Butusov, a Ukrainian war correspondent, Kiev used modified R-360 Neptune anti-ship missiles in the attack on Russia's S-400 complex.

Ukraine destroys Russian S-400 system — Ukraine released a video of the destruction of Russia's S-400 system in Crimea. Video: *Ukrainian Ministry of Defense*

The R-360 Neptune was first unveiled by Ukraine's Luch Design Bureau at a defense exhibition in Kiev in 2014, but the anti-ship missile went largely unnoticed at the time. However, the Neptune became famous after Ukraine used it to attack and sink the Russian flagship Moskva in April 2022.

Kiev officials consider this a "great victory" both in terms of tactics and domestic defense development, in the context that the country is dependent on weapons supplies from the West.

Neptune is based on the Soviet-era Kh-35 missile. The Luch design bureau said the Neptune has significantly improved range and electronics, and is designed to destroy surface ships with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons.

The Neptune missile is more than 5 m long, equipped with 4 stabilizers in the middle of the body, has a total mass of 870 kg, of which the warhead weighs about 150 kg. The missile is pushed out of the launcher by a solid-fuel booster, before the MS-400 turbine jet engine is activated, helping it reach subsonic speed and a range of about 300 km.

"Ukrainian engineers at the Luch Design Bureau later added the ability to attack land targets to the domestic anti-ship missile Neptune," Butusov said.

In a commentary on Forbes on August 25, military expert David Axe said that Ukraine's conversion of the Neptune missile was not surprising, because the Kh-35 prototype, as well as the US counterpart Harpoon, have both been equipped with a mode to attack land targets.

Neptune missile fired during a test in 2019. Photo: Ukrainian Ministry of Defense — Neptune missile fired during a test in 2019. Photo: *Ukrainian Ministry of Defense*

According to Mr. Axe, anti-ship missiles only need a radar seeker to identify enemy ships, because targets at sea are often not obscured by obstacles. Meanwhile, targets on land are often located among buildings, trees and rough terrain. Therefore, missiles need to be supplemented with GPS positioning equipment to be able to hit targets hidden among many terrain disturbances on land.

The US company Boeing added a GPS inertial navigation system to the Block II upgraded version of the Harpoon anti-ship missile, giving it a ground-attack mode in the late 1990s.

A Ukrainian official confirmed in April that Kiev was looking to modify the Neptune missile to strike land targets, adding that the country needed Western components to build the guidance system needed for that feature.

"Once the components are available, the Neptune missile will be upgraded to be able to hit targets at a distance of up to 360 km," the Ukrainian official said. "We are close to completing the improvement of this missile model."

The attack on the S-400 complex on the Crimean peninsula is seen as a sign that Ukraine's efforts to improve the Neptune missile have been successful.

Crimean peninsula and surrounding area. Graphics: RYV — Crimean peninsula and surrounding area. Graphics: *RYV*

Mr. Axe commented that with a range of 360 km, the Neptune missile can be fired from safe distances, such as in the coastal city of Odessa, and still be able to hit most Russian targets in Crimea.

This expert believes that the attack on the S-400 complex is just the first step and Ukraine will conduct more attacks with Neptune missiles.

This is not the first time Ukraine has upgraded its weapons to increase its ability to attack Russia. Kiev has recently launched attacks on Russian territory with S-200 anti-aircraft missiles, apparently modified to increase their range and accuracy, while awaiting more long-range weapons from the West.

Pham Giang (According to Forbes, Drive )

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