The European defense consortium MBDA and the Ukrainian defence company LUCH have signed a memorandum of cooperation on the further development of the Neptune cruise missile, including the creation of an upgraded version, Neptune 2, intended for strikes against ground targets.
MBDA is one of Europe’s leading manufacturers of advanced missile systems, while LUCH has its own experience in designing, integrating, and producing guided weapons, including the Neptune missile family.
The Ukrainian Neptune has already become one of Ukraine’s most well-known missile developments, but further evolution toward a new version may significantly improve its performance through broader and more open use of European components and engineering expertise.
For MBDA, this continues a broader line of cooperation with Ukraine’s defense industry in the field of long-range weapons.
The company already has expertise in systems such as Storm Shadow, Taurus, Meteor, Aster-15/30, and others, so its involvement could give LUCH access to technologies, integration approaches, and production solutions that are difficult to develop quickly on its own.
