A screengrab showing the LMUR missile carried by the Mi-28NM attack helicopter.
The Russian military has destroyed a crossing on the Volchya River that was recently set up by Kiev forces to supply their remaining troops in the settlement of Volchansks in the Kharkiv direction.
The crossing, a vehicle that was using it and a nearby post of Kiev forces were targeted with helicopter-launched Izdeliye 305 missiles. Videos of the pinpoint strikes were posted to social networks on May 25. However, it is unclear when exactly they took place.
The Izdeliye 305, officially called the Lightweight Multifunction Missile, was developed by the Kolomna Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering for upgraded Mi-28NM and Ka-52M attack helicopters. It can also be launched from Mi-8MNP-2 special forces helicopters.
The missile is equipped with an GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system, an optical thermal imaging homing seeker and a two-way secured data-link. The maximum range of the missile is said to be around 15 kilometers. It is armed with a high-explosive warhead weighing 25 kg.
The Izdeliye 305 can be used in two different modes. In the first one, the target is marked by the operator before launch, and the carrier helicopter can turn away directly after the missile launch.
In the second mode, the missile is launched without it being locked on a target. It first flies in its direction, using inertial guidance with satellite navigation providing corrections. The image from the seeker is transmitted back to the helicopter via a data-link system, dubbed the AS-BPLA. The operator can select the target and change it while the missile is flying towards its area.
The strikes on the Volchya River will facilitate the ongoing Russian attack on Volchansks. Kiev forces have already lost much of the city.
The Russian military launched a limited military operation in the Kharkiv direction earlier this month in response to recent Ukrainian strikes and raids on Belgorod and other neighboring Russian regions. The main purpose of the operation appears to be to establish a safe zone along the Russian border.
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