DNA Explainer: What is Neptune Cruise Missile that destroyed Russia's largest warship

In another big blow to Russia, after the detention of Viktor Medvedchuk, longtime confidant to President Vladimir Putin, Russia's largest warship has been destroyed in the Black Sea. The Russian Defence Ministry has confirmed the destruction of the warship. The Russian Defence Ministry said that all the crew members stationed on the warship have been evacuated safely.

Usually, there are around 500 crew members on board for a Slava-class cruiser like the Moskva. There have been no updates on injuries or fatalities.

Russia's flagship Black Sea fleet named 'Moskva', a guided-missile cruiser, sunk after what a Ukrainian official claimed was a cruise missile attack off the coast of Odesa. Ukrainian officials said their forces hit the vessel with missiles, while Russia acknowledged a fire aboard the Moskva but no attack.

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Governor of Ukraine's Odessa Oblast, declared that the cruiser had been struck by two Neptune anti-ship cruise missiles that had been indigenously developed in Ukraine. The current status of the cruiser remains unclear as to how much damage it has sustained.

What are Neptune missiles?

The Neptune cruise missile is a Ukrainian-manufactured anti-ship missile, fired from shore to ship.

The Neptune cruise missile that hit the Russian fleet was developed by Ukraine and entered service in August 2020.

RK-360MT Neptune are mobile anti-ship cruise missile capable of destroying targets within a range of 300 km.

Weighing 870 kg and carrying a 150kg warhead, Neptune missiles are capable of destroying targets of up to 5,000 tons.

Neptune has a range of around 300 kilometres (186 miles) and can carry warheads of up 150 kilograms (over 330 pounds).

Neptune's design, which is based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile, is designed to defeat surface warships.

Ukraine's indigenously made Neptune cruise missile also transports vessels with a displacement of up to 5,000 tons. 

The Neptune cruise missile uses a radar-homing guidance to home in on enemy ships.

The 16-ft long engine-powered missiles can travel at speeds of up to 900 km/h, at heights of between 9 and 30ft above surface.

The weapons, which are able to be mounted on ships, by land and by air launchers, were formally adopted in August, 2020.

One Neptune division normally has six USPU-360 launchers capable of firing a salvo of the 24 anti-ship missiles.

The Neptune cruise missile was first revealed in the 'Weapons and Security 2015' exhibition in Kyiv.

About Moskva 

Moskva (Moscow), originally known as Slava (glory), is the lead ship of the Slava-class guided missile cruisers, also known as Project 1164 Atlant.

Moskva missile cruiser was built indigenously by the erstwhile Union of Soviet Socialist Republics (USSR) and still in service with the Russian Navy.

Slava was laid down at a shipyard in the Ukrainian city of Mykolaiv, a major shipbuilding centre on the Black Sea, known as Nikolaev in Russian in 1976.

The cruiser was commissioned into the Soviet Navy in 1983. Decommissioned in 1990, it was reinstated as Moskva by the Russian Navy in 2000.

Moskva missile cruiser is reportedly armed with 16 anti-ship Vulkan cruise missiles, which have a range of at least 700 kilometres.

It is also said to carry anti-torpedo and mine-torpedo weapons. The cruiser is also equipped with a long-range S-300 surface-to-air missile air defence system.