Long Neptune Strike: Ukraine’s New Cruise Missile Cripples Russian Warships in Novorossiysk

On September 9th, Ukrainian Naval forces successfully launched a raid against the Russian Black Sea Fleet moored in Novorossiysk, utilizing Long Neptune type cruise missiles to strike the Russian Frigates Admiral Essen and Admiral Makarov along with a Buyan-M class corvette. The Ukrainian Navy’s official X account initially announced the strike only on the Admiral Essen, and a day later Exilenova+ published satellite imagery which confirmed the strikes on the Admiral Essen, Admiral Makarov and a Buyan-M type Corvette. The damage appears most severe aboard the Buyan-M, where everything aft of the superstructure including the VLS cell bank, appears to have experienced extensive fire damage alongside severe structural collapse, with debris scattered over the stern. Both Project 11356R Grigorovich-class frigates sustained moderate to severe damage to their front sections, particularly near both VLS cell banks, and the forward superstructure likely robbing both vessels of any capability to employ both surface to air and surface to surface munitions. Both vessels now appear in visibly worse shape compared to the aftermath of previous drone raids. Previously, Naval News also reported on strikes in mid August where several vessels including the Admiral Essen and the Admiral Makarov sustained hits from Ukrainian strike drones, with an apparent reshuffle of the arrangement in moorings since then likely in an attempt to complicate targeting. This round of strikes appears to have done significantly more damage to the vessels targeted, likely owing to the heavier and more destructive nature of missiles over previously used strike drones. Hunting the Black Sea Fleet’s Missile Carriers As it stands, at least 4/10 of the Russian Black Sea Fleet’s surface cruise missile carriers have been put out of action to some extent, with most of those 4 sustaining heavy or moderate damage. This round of strikes proves that Ukrainian built cruise missiles, such as the Long Neptune, can range maritime roughly 400km away from the front lines and that Ukraine possesses the intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance capability to make use of these munitions against targets that may move. This dramatically increases an already dire threat picture for the Black Sea Fleet, adding to a more high-end and increasingly devastating munition set that Ukraine can employ to target sensitive Naval assets, with Neptune available in larger quantities and with less restrictions than donated western munitions such as Storm Shadow. The overall tally puts only 8 vessels capable of carrying Kalibr cruise missiles as still active in the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea, out of a potential total of 17 ships, with a total of 3 Grigorovich-class frigates, 4 Buyan-M class corvettes, 3 Karakurt-class corvettes, and 7 Kilo/Improved Kilo-class submarines (assuming all 7 improved Kilos can carry Kalibr). 6 of 9 vessels are out of service due to damage, with 2 Grigorovich-class frigates, 1 Karakurt-class corvette, 1 Buyan-M, and 2 Kilo-class submarines crippled. The Grigorovich herself and 2 other Kilos are still gated from re-entering the Black Sea due to the closing of the Bosporus straits. The Neptune Saga These strikes are the first known instance of a Long Neptune hitting a ship, with previous usage primarily being against land-based targets in occupied Ukraine and the Russian Federation. The Long Neptune is an improved and larger iteration on the original R-360 Neptune anti-ship cruise missile, with both missiles designed and manufactured by Ukraine’s Luch Design Bureau. In early 2022, 2 missiles of the original Neptune design sunk the Slava-class cruiser, the Moskva, making the former flagship and largest vessel of the Russian Black Sea fleet the first Russian maritime casualty of the full scale invasion. Since, then Luch reengineered and updated Neptune for optimized use against land targets throughout 2023, with The War Zone reporting that the missile received a new guidance package of an improved inertial navigation system and the tandem usage of a GPS based guidance method along with a new terminal seeker. Luch would proceed to introduce Long Neptune, a variant designed around extending the range of the already existing Neptune variants from roughly 300-360 kilometers out past 500 kilometers. Extended range has been accomplished not only by enlarging the missile, but also the inclusion of “bulges” or additional fuel tanks towards the front of the missile, requiring a noticeably larger transport erector launcher (as seen in the video above). This variant would emerge in service in late 2025, making up the heavier edge of Ukraine’s strike munitions, alongside the extremely large and long ranged FP-5 Flamingo.