Ukraine says Neptune missile strike hit six Russian Su-34 bombers at air base

Ukraine’s Navy said it used its Neptune coastal missile system to strike the Borisoglebsk military air base in Russia’s Voronezh region overnight into October 15, 2026, claiming six Su-34M fighter-bombers were destroyed. 

According to the Ukrainian Navy’s statement, the strike also hit equipment used to support flight operations, and secondary detonations and a fire were recorded at the airfield. The service said information on the results was still being clarified. 

In a later statement, the General Staff of the Armed Forces of Ukraine said it had confirmed that six Su-34 multirole fighter-bombers sustained damage of varying degrees at the base.  

The General Staff’s assessment stops short of confirming the Ukrainian Navy’s reported destruction of all six aircraft. The extent of the damage has not been independently established. 

Which Neptune missile was used? 

A Ukrainian Neptune cruise missile launches during a 2019 test. Ukraine’s Navy said it used the Neptune coastal missile system to strike Borisoglebsk air base, without specifying the missile variant. (Credit: Ukrainian Presidential Administration / Wikimedia Commons)The Ukrainian Navy did not say which version of the Neptune it used. President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said on March 15, 2025, that an extended-range Long Neptune had passed testing and been used in combat at a distance of 1,000 kilometers (about 620 miles). 

The Su-34M is the modernized variant of the Su-34 fighter-bomber, with upgraded avionics and the ability to carry a wider range of precision weapons. 

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According to the Ukrainian Navy, the Su-34M can carry several guided and high-explosive aerial bombs at once, as well as missiles, and is one of the main aircraft Russia uses for guided-bomb strikes on Ukrainian positions and front-line towns. 

Borisoglebsk air base targeted again 

Borisoglebsk has been targeted before. On July 5, 2025, the General Staff said Special Operations Forces had hit a glide-bomb depot and a combat training aircraft at the base, which it described as home to Su-34, Su-35S and Su-30SM aircraft. 

The latest attack adds to a series of Ukrainian strikes on airfields hosting Su-34s. On October 4, 2026, the Security Service of Ukraine (SBU) said its drones had hit a Su-35 and a Su-34 at Khanskaya air base in the Republic of Adygea. The post Ukraine says Neptune missile strike hit six Russian Su-34 bombers at air base appeared first on AeroTime.

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