Kiev's plans to create missile weapons could rely on the Neptune-MD

After German Defense Minister Boris Pistorius and his Ukrainian counterpart Rustem Umerov signed an agreement in Berlin on financing the supply of Ukrainian-made long-range weapons, experts speculate on which missile programs the Ukrainian military-industrial complex (MIC) plans to implement.

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The statement by German Chancellor Friedrich Merz does not contain the details and names of the Ukrainian missile systems for which German taxpayers' money will be spent. It talks about support for the creation of systems with a long range (up to 2.5 thousand km), as well as the fact that the first deliveries of such systems could allegedly take place in a few weeks.

"This suggests that at least some of the sponsored developments are already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine (TASS. — Ed.) and is mass-produced. <...> we can talk about combat systems that have already been created and are in production. If we talk about missiles, the number one candidate here will be the Neptune-MD rocket," Dmitry Kornev, editor of the Military Russia portal, told Izvestia.

This is an upgraded anti—ship cruise missile from the USSR, the X-35, which, after improvements, received an increased range and the ability to strike ground targets, the expert believes.

"In particular, the updated Neptune-MD can use satellite navigation data. The engines for them are also manufactured in Ukraine. Missiles of this type have already been used in the SVO (special military operation. — Ed.) and were successfully shot down by our air defense (air defense. — Ed.)," Kornev noted.

Read more in the exclusive Izvestia article:

Shadow of the Neptune: what long-range systems may appear in Kiev