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The Neptune cruise missile that severely damaged a Russian warship

Published: 23rd Apr, 2022

Context

Ukraine claimed to have severely damaged the Russian Black Sea Fleet Flagship ‘Moskva’ off the coast of Odessa via a missile strike on the ship.

About

What is the type of cruise missile that hit the Moskva?

  • The Ukrainians claim that the Moskva was hit by two anti-ship cruise missiles called the Neptune. Ironically, the design of this missile is based on a Russian Kh-35 cruise missile which goes by the NATO name of AS-20 Kayak.
  • The Neptune Missile system was inducted into the Ukrainian Defence Forces in March 2021 after being in development for around six years.
  • The cruise missile was developed in haste by the military as the Russian threat to the coastal areas of Ukraine was growing rapidly since the occupation of Crimea in 2014.
  • According to the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence, the Neptune is a coastal anti-ship cruise missile which is capable of destruction of naval vessels in a range of about 300 km.

About Moskva, the ship that was hit by the missile:

  • Moskva is a guided missile cruiser of the Russian Navy named after the city of Moscow.
  • It has a displacement of 12,490 tons.
  • It is the flagship of the Black Sea Fleet of the Russian Navy and carries a crew of around 500 personnel.
  • The Moskva was originally commissioned as the Slava in 1983.
  • It was recommissioned in 2000 as the Moskva with refurbished weapon systems and electronics.
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