Missile duel: India's BrahMos versus Ukraine's Neptune; comparison after Russian warship Moskva's sinking

Ever since the sinking of Russia's Moskva warship amid the ongoing Ukraine war, comparisons have been drawn between Ukraine's Neptune missile and India's BrahMos.

Ukraine claimed that it hit Russia's flagship in the Black Sea with its Neptune missiles on April 13, damaging it, and ultimately sinking it. Russia didn't confirm this big blow, claiming a fire broke out on the ship.

BrahMos missile

Less than a week later, India conducted fresh demonstrations of its own BrahMos missile, sparking comparisons. The multi-platform BrahMos was launched from an Indian Navy warship, as well as an Indian Air Force Sukhoi Su-30MkI fighter jet.

So, which is better - the Neptune, or the BrahMos? Let's take a look at their features.

BrahMos Vs. Neptune

The Neptune's maximum speed is over 1,000 km per hour. This is much lesser than the BrahMos which can fly at 3 times the speed of sound.

The Neptune can carry a 150 kg warhead, compared to 200-300 kg on the BrahMos, which is also nuclear-capable. The two missiles have a similar range of around 300 km.

Both the Neptune and BrahMos can fly close to the surface, especially close to their target, to avoid detection and increase chances of a hit.

While the Neptune is equipped with inertial navigation and active radar systems, the BrahMos has inertial navigation for targeting ships, and inertial and GPS for land targets.

The Neptune was developed by Ukraine, based on the Soviet Kh-35 anti-ship missile. Meanwhile, the BrahMos was designed by Indian and Russian agencies.

The Neptune is manufactured by the Kyiv-based Luch Design Bureau, while the BrahMos Aerospace joint venture manufactures the BrahMos missile.

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