In May 2024, the missile and launcher developer Vympel asked the Design Bureau of Mechanical Engineering to speed up deliveries of components for two types of launchers — APU-L and APU-305. In the letter, the company warned that delays were putting nine contracts at risk, including two foreign ones.
One of them was a contract with China for 192 APU-305 launchers. The second was listed under the code “K-10” and provided for the sale of 90 APU-L launchers; in other Russian defense documents, Iran appears under this code.
Both systems are used to launch LMUR, also known as “Product 305”, — precision-guided weapons capable of hitting small moving targets. The missile was unveiled at the Army exhibition in 2021, and in 2022 it entered service with the Russian army and began being used in the war against Ukraine.
The launchers are mounted on helicopters: the APU-L is designed for the Mi-28 attack helicopter and modernized Ka-52 helicopters and carries two missiles, while the APU-305 carries one. A representative of the Ukrainian private intelligence organization Dallas Analytics, which provided the documents to the publication, said that the LMUR flies at a speed of about 230 meters per second, covers 14 kilometers in about a minute, and can be guided by an operator in flight.
The documents do not confirm, however, that the launchers intended for Iran were produced and handed over to the customer. The order itself had not previously been made public; FT also reported that Russia helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles and sold it Verba man-portable air-defense systems, and in 2023 Tehran agreed to acquire Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters and received two Yak-130 combat trainer aircraft.
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