Ukraine's Neptune-D outperforms Europe's only homegrown long-range missile

Defense Express reported the information.

Following the official release of specifications for the RK360L cruise missile, part of the Neptune-D system long known informally as Long Neptune, questions about its warhead capacity have been definitively answered. The weapon represents a formidable long-range strike capability that now invites direct comparison with Europe's sole domestically produced long-range cruise missile: France's MdCN (Missile de Croisière Naval), manufactured by the pan-European defense conglomerate MBDA.

On paper, the two systems appear remarkably similar. Ukraine's RK360L boasts a 1,000-kilometer range with a 260-kilogram warhead, while France's MdCN matches the range with a warhead estimated between 250 and 300 kilograms. Both missiles lack stealth-optimized airframes—the MdCN features a traditional circular fuselage, while the RK360L's X-shaped wings likely produce a slightly larger radar cross-section.

The guidance systems remain classified for both weapons, though the MdCN likely incorporates technology from the SCALP cruise missile. What is clear is that the Neptune system has proven effective against targets deep inside Russian territory, including the recent strike on the Electrodetal factory in Karachev. The French missile has also seen combat, deployed against chemical weapons facilities in Syria.

Production details and costs remain undisclosed for both systems, though France's Ministry of Defense has procured only around 200 MdCN units. The Ukrainian missile almost certainly costs less and requires a shorter production cycle.

The most significant difference lies in deployment. Ukraine's Neptune is a ground-launched system, while the MdCN operates exclusively from naval vessels using the A70 Sylver vertical launch system. MBDA's French division hopes to develop a land-based variant by 2028, but that timeline remains uncertain—Germany has already begun discussing purchases of American Tomahawk missiles instead.

Ukraine has now fielded two distinct long-range cruise missiles during wartime: the conventional RK360L Neptune-D, launched from mobile ground platforms, and the FP-5 Flamingo, considered a wartime expedient solution. Meanwhile, Europe's land-based cruise missile project continues to stall, leaving the continent dependent on foreign systems or limited naval capabilities.