Russian companies took part in efforts to supply Iran with at least 90 launchers for multipurpose guided missiles, a modern weapon system that Moscow itself has widely used in its war against Ukraine. Analysts at Dallas Analytics, a Ukrainian private intelligence and research organization focused on Russia’s defense industry and wartime economy, cited a 2024-2025 production plan from the Vympel Design Bureau that they said they had obtained.
The recipients were listed under the code K-10, which the analysts said is used to designate Iran. Tehran was to receive launch equipment for the missile known as Product 305, or Kh-39. The missiles are typically mounted on helicopters. Each carries a 25-kilogram warhead and an electro-optical seeker, and an operator can also guide the missile while it is in flight.
Export batches of the launchers were scheduled for delivery from late 2024 through December 2025, but it remains unclear whether they were actually shipped.Analysts said photographs allowed them to confirm deliveries of the Russian-supplied helicopters, but based on the images it could not be determined whether the missile launchers themselves had also been sent..
Russia has also shared intelligence with Iran, The Washington Post reported earlier this year. The information may have been used to help target American forces in the Middle East during the ongoing U.S.-Iran war.
Moscow has continued supplying weapons to foreign buyers despite the needs of its own military, as noted by the Financial Times. The deliveries indicate that Russia and Iran have further strengthened their partnership over the course of the war in the Middle East.
