Russia has agreed to supply Iran with 90 guided missile launchers, known as the “Product 305”. They are widely used by the Russian army in the war against Ukraine.
This is reported by the Financial Times, citing data from Ukrainian investigators from Dallas Analytics.
The publication has reviewed the production schedule of one of the major Russian defense enterprises for 2024-2025. It contains a letter from the Russian company Vympel from May 2024 to the KBM design bureau with a request to accelerate the supply of components for two types of launchers — APU-L and APU-305. Delays could jeopardize nine contracts.
The accompanying production schedule lists seven Russian customers and two foreign buyers. One of them is China, which has ordered 192 APU-305 launchers. Another buyer, identified as “K-10”, has ordered 90 APU-L launchers. As the FT notes, this is the codification Russia uses for Iran.
Both types of installations are designed for missiles known as "Product 305", which are launched from helicopters. They are capable of attacking moving targets, and the operator can adjust their flight. According to Dallas Analytics, the missile travels at a speed of about 230 meters per second and covers 14 km in about a minute.
The APU-L systems are designed for Mi-28 attack helicopters and can carry two missiles. Iran already has such helicopters: in January 2026, photos of Mi-28s at an aviation facility in Tehran appeared online.
At the same time, the document does not confirm whether Russia has already delivered the ordered launchers to Iran.
- Moscow and Tehranʼs defense partnership has grown significantly since the start of Russiaʼs full-scale invasion of Ukraine, with CNN sources telling them that Russia is sharing drone tactics with Iran to attack U.S. and Gulf targets in the Middle East.
- The FT also reported that Russia helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles and sold it Verba portable anti-aircraft systems.
For more news and in-depth stories from Ukraine, please follow us on X.