Russian defense industry records indicate Moscow agreed to provide Tehran with helicopter-mounted launchers for precision-guided missiles used in Ukraine, raising questions about the extent of Russian military support for Iran during the ongoing Middle East conflict.
By yourNEWS Media Newsroom
MOSCOW — Russia agreed to supply Iran with 90 launchers for advanced precision-guided missiles used by Russian forces in Ukraine, according to leaked defense industry documents disclosed Thursday, Nov. 5, revealing another military arrangement between Moscow and Tehran amid the ongoing war involving Iran, the United States and Israel.
The previously undisclosed agreement involved APU-L launchers designed to carry Russian light multipurpose guided missiles, known as LMUR or Izdeliye 305. The weapons are capable of striking moving targets and have been used extensively by Russian forces since the full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022.
According to an investigation published by the Financial Times, Russian defense production schedules covering 2024 and 2025 identified an export order for 90 launchers intended for a customer designated “K-10,” a code used by Russia’s state arms exporter Rosoboronexport to identify Iran.
The documents were obtained by Dallas Analytics, a Ukrainian private intelligence and research organization specializing in Russia’s defense industry and wartime economy.
Although the records establish that an export order existed, they do not confirm whether the launchers were manufactured in full or delivered to Iran.
A May 2024 letter from Russian missile manufacturer Vympel warned another defense enterprise that delays in supplying components threatened production schedules for several contracts.
The accompanying records identified orders for Russian military requirements, exports to China and the 90 launchers associated with the Iranian customer.
The planned shipments were scheduled between late 2024 and December 2025, according to additional reporting by The Insider.
The APU-L launcher is designed primarily for Russia’s Mi-28 attack helicopter and can carry two LMUR missiles.
The precision-guided LMUR, also designated Kh-39, entered Russian military service in 2022. It carries an approximately 25-kilogram warhead and uses an electro-optical guidance system that allows an operator to observe and adjust the missile’s flight toward a target.
The weapon can strike targets at distances of approximately 14 kilometers, traveling at speeds of roughly 230 meters per second.
Its guidance capabilities distinguish it from conventional unguided rockets commonly carried by attack helicopters.
Russian forces have used LMUR missiles against Ukrainian military vehicles, defensive positions and other targets throughout the war.
Iran has separately acquired Russian Mi-28 helicopters that could accommodate the launchers.
Iranian officials announced in November 2023 that arrangements for obtaining the aircraft had been completed. Photographs appearing online in January 2026 subsequently showed an Mi-28 helicopter at an aviation facility in Tehran.
However, publicly available images have not established whether Iran has received the specific APU-L launchers identified in the production documents.
The reported agreement adds to evidence of expanding military cooperation between Russia and Iran, which have exchanged equipment, technology and other forms of support during their respective conflicts.
Iran previously supplied Russia with military drones and related technology that Moscow used against Ukrainian targets. Russian forces have relied extensively on Iranian-designed Shahed drones and domestically produced variants in long-range attacks against Ukrainian infrastructure.
Russia, meanwhile, has provided Iran with military equipment and technical assistance, strengthening a relationship that has attracted increasing scrutiny from Western governments.
A separate Financial Times investigation in September reported that Russia had secretly assisted Iran in developing supersonic cruise missile technology through a program identified as C430L.
The project reportedly involved advanced propulsion technology intended to enable missiles to sustain flight at several times the speed of sound.
Such weapons could potentially complicate defensive operations by reducing the time available to detect and intercept incoming missiles.
The latest launcher agreement concerns a different category of weapon designed for shorter-range precision attacks from helicopters.
Its potential significance depends partly on whether Iran has received the equipment, acquired compatible missiles and integrated the systems into operational aircraft.
The disclosure comes as Russia continues its war in Ukraine while Iran remains engaged in a military conflict with the United States and Israel.
The overlapping conflicts have raised concerns about military assistance moving between Moscow and Tehran despite Russia’s substantial need for weapons and equipment on its own battlefields.
Russia has maintained that its relationship with Iran is based on legitimate bilateral cooperation, while Western governments have criticized military transfers between the countries.
The revelation also raises questions about Moscow’s relationship with Washington during ongoing diplomatic efforts involving both the Ukraine war and the Middle East conflict.
Russia has sought to preserve communications with the Trump administration while maintaining defense and strategic ties with Tehran.
The reported launcher agreement predates the current phase of the Middle East war, having appeared in Russian production documents from 2024 and 2025.
That timeline indicates the arrangement was part of an existing defense relationship rather than necessarily a direct response to the latest American and Israeli military operations.
Nevertheless, the existence of the order demonstrates that Russian defense companies were planning additional military exports to Iran while Russia remained heavily engaged in Ukraine.
As Iran International reported Thursday, the documents do not establish whether the launchers were ultimately delivered or whether Iran has deployed them operationally.
Neither Moscow nor Tehran had publicly confirmed the specific transaction in the reporting available Thursday.
The disclosed records therefore establish a planned arms transfer but leave important questions unresolved about its completion and operational consequences.
For Western governments monitoring Russian-Iranian military cooperation, the agreement provides further evidence of continuing defense industry links between the two countries.
Whether the launchers have already strengthened Iran’s military capabilities remains uncertain pending confirmation of their delivery and deployment.
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