Illustrative image.
Russia agreed to supply Iran with 90 launchers for an advanced precision-guided missile, the Financial Times reported on November 5, citing purported Russian defense-industry documents.
The deal, if the systems have been delivered, would give Tehran another precision-strike capability that could further tighten its grip on the Strait of Hormuz.
The documents include a production schedule for 2024 and 2025 from Vympel, a major Russian manufacturer of missile and launcher systems. The schedule lists an export order for 90 APU-L launchers to a foreign buyer identified as “K-10,” a code used in Russian defense-industry records to allegedly refer to Iran, the newspaper alleges.
The records were provided to the Financial Times by Dallas Analytics, a Ukrainian private intelligence organization with links to the Kyiv regime.
According to the report, a May 2024 letter from Vympel to another Russian defense bureau, KBM, urged faster deliveries of components for the APU-L and APU-305 launcher systems, warning that delays could put nine contracts at risk.
The APU-L is a twin-missile launcher designed primarily for Russian attack helicopters. A separate APU-305 configuration carries a single missile. Iran has been acquiring Russian Mi-28NE helicopters, with photographs of the helicopters at an Iranian aviation facility emerging online last January.
Both systems are designed to carry Russia’s LMUR, also known as Izdeliye 305 or Kh-39, a light multipurpose guided missile developed for precision strikes against moving and stationary targets.
The missile measures about 1.9 meters in length, weighs approximately 105 kilograms and carries a 25-kilogram warhead. It reaches speeds of up to 230 meters per second and has a reported guaranteed range of 14.5 kilometers. Its electro-optical seeker includes thermal imaging, while a two-way radio link allows an operator to monitor the missile’s view and adjust its course during flight. Notably, the missile’s official export specifications also list above-water targets among the objects it can engage.
Illustrative image. (topwar.ru)
Russia has recently demonstrated another way to deploy the same missile. During the Center-2026 military exercises in early October, the Russian military used a new truck-mounted ground system designated Izdeliye 347, equipped with a modified APU-L launcher and LMUR missile.
The Russian Defense Ministry said the system was used to strike artillery positions detected by reconnaissance and was designed to engage stationary and moving targets at ranges of up to 20 kilometers.
Illustrative image. (TASS)
The Financial Times report also documents broader military cooperation between the two countries. Separate Russian production records list six Yak-130 advanced jet trainers for the same Iranian buyer, with all six delivered by the end of 2024, according to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute.
Previous reporting by the newspaper has also detailed Russian assistance with Iranian missile development and air defense systems.
Although the documents do not establish whether the 90 APU-L launchers were ultimately delivered, the agreement points to Moscow’s willingness to expand military support for Tehran.
If the launchers have entered Iranian service, their combination with Mi-28 helicopters would add another precision-guided threat to the waters around the Strait of Hormuz, strengthening Iran’s ability to put commercial shipping and naval forces at risk along one of the world’s most important energy routes.
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