Dorozvidka #22: “Long Neptune”, mesh connection from HIMERA, and once again about Flamingo missile

The new Flamingo cruise missile from Fire Point dominated coverage in both Ukrainian and international defence media. But by Sunday, attention shifted to another domestic development – “Long Neptune”. Meanwhile, DOT-Chain Defence marketplace expanded its drone catalogue with new models from Quantum Systems, DeViRo, Warbirds, and others.

Details in Dorozvidka #22, along with news on codification, successful tests of HIMERA’s mesh connection, and updates on international defence cooperation.

First public images of “Long Neptune”

Ukraine’s extended-range cruise missile, unofficially named “Long Neptune”, was shown publicly for the first time on 24 August via the official Zbroya portal.

Earlier reports confirmed that this new version of the R-360 Neptune had successfully struck targets at distances of up to 1,000 km during spring 2025 trials. While the missile has been known since late 2023, no imagery had been released until now.

Key specs of “Long Neptune”:

• Range: up to 1,000 km
• Mission profile: strikes against land-based targets
• Length: over 6 m (1.5 m longer than the baseline R-360)
• Fuselage widened from 38 cm to 50 cm
• Already in operational use since spring 2025.

Mesh comms from HIMERA at a distance of 45 km

The 1st Separate Territorial Defence Brigade named after Ivan Bohun has successfully tested Ukrainian tactical radios HIMERA G1 PRO in mesh mode, achieving stable communication at a distance of 45 km.

Mesh communication is one of the key trends in modern tactical comms, the company notes. Its principle is that each radio simultaneously receives and transmits a signal. This creates a self-healing network that does not depend on a single repeater. If one link drops out, the signal automatically finds another route.

For the test, Bohun Brigade fighters used only four HIMERA G1 PRO radios in mesh mode — and achieved stable comms at 45 km without additional equipment. According to the developers, this result shows that even a small mesh configuration can significantly extend the radio horizon and ensure reliable communication where mission-critical.

Joint arms production with Western partners: updates on the Build in Ukraine programme

On 24 August, the Defence Cooperation Forum. Future Warfare was held in Kyiv under the chairmanship of President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, with the participation of international partners. The President invited Western countries to join the Build in Ukraine programme: to set up factories, service centres and production lines in Ukraine, as well as to create joint programmes with Ukrainian manufacturers — from co-design to licensed production.

A day before the forum, Ukraine and Sweden agreed on joint defence production in both countries. This was announced by Defence Minister Denys Shmyhal following a meeting with his Swedish counterpart Pål Jonson on 23 August. The defence ministries of the two countries signed a letter of intent that paves the way for joint projects in the defence industry. “We will continue to exchange technologies and expertise in the production of weapons and military equipment to strengthen the resilience and self-sufficiency of our defence industries,” Shmyhal said. 

АОЗ Міноборони розширила асортимент дронів в DOT-Chain Defence

The Ministry of Defence’s Defence Procurement Agency has expanded the range of drones available through its DOT-Chain Defence system. New contracts have been signed with six additional manufacturers to supply the Armed Forces, bringing the total to 20 drone producers and 146 models now available on the platform. Since the first order on 31 July, drones worth UAH 127 million have already been delivered to the front via this weapons marketplace.

The latest contracts add drones from the following companies:

• Gurzuf Defence
• Quantum Systems
• SKYRIPER
• Warbirds
• Deviro LLC
• Reactive Drones LLC

“We are constantly broadening the range. It is important for us that the military has a wide choice of drones and can receive equipment quickly and without unnecessary bureaucracy,” said Defence Procurement Agency director Arsen Zhumadilov. He noted that DOT-Chain Defence is already showing strong momentum, with more manufacturers joining the marketplace and military units gaining access to an expanding selection of equipment.

More coverage of the Flamingo missile

Ukraine’s Flamingo cruise missile, developed by Fire Point, remained in the spotlight last week. Beyond the stories in ZN and AP already reported by Defender Media, both Ukrainian and international outlets published further materials with new details on the missile and initial assessments of its capabilities.

In particular, Politico reporters managed to speak directly with the missile’s developers, while Ukrainian defence analyst Serhii Fakas published a post on Militarnyi debunking false claims and misconceptions about the Flamingo.

MoD approves over 80 fibre-optic UAVs and 25 interceptor drones

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has cleared more than 80 new unmanned aerial systems with fibre-optic control channels for operational use in the Armed Forces. All of these systems are domestically produced and were authorised this year.

In addition, over 25 Ukrainian-made aerial interceptor drones have been approved for deployment. Many of these are specifically designed to target Shahed/Heron-type drones.