Russia agreed to supply Iran with 90 missile launchers

Russia agreed to supply Iran with 90 helicopter-mounted launchers for a guided missile that Russian forces use widely in Ukraine, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, Nov. 5. The report cites leaked defense industry documents. The order, which had not been reported before, adds to a growing record of Russian military help for Tehran. It comes as President Donald Trump keeps playing down Moscow's role in Iran's war with the United States.ft.com+1

What the documents show

The documents came from Dallas Analytics, a private Ukrainian intelligence group. They include a 2024–2025 production schedule attached to a May 2024 letter from Vympel, a leading Russian missile designer. In the letter, Vympel pressed the KBM design bureau to speed up component deliveries for two launcher types, APU-L and APU-305, and warned that delays could put nine contracts at risk. The schedule lists seven Russian customers and two foreign buyers. China ordered 192 APU-305 launchers, and a buyer coded "K-10" ordered 90 APU-L units.jpost.com+1

According to the FT, Rosoboronexport, Russia's state arms exporter, uses K-10 as its code for Iran. One Yak-130 jet trainer contract names the buyer outright as "K-10, Iran". The Guardian, which also received the documents, reported that deliveries were scheduled between late 2024 and December 2025. It added that the records do not show whether the launchers were ever delivered.uk.news.yahoo.com+1

The launchers carry the LMUR, also called Izdeliye 305, a precision missile that can hit moving targets. It entered Russian service in 2022. The APU-L is built for Mi-28 attack helicopters and holds two missiles. Photos of an Mi-28 in a Tehran hangar surfaced in January 2026.iranintl.com+1

Trump's denials

On Oct. 13, Trump wrote on Truth Social that he did not believe Russia or China were helping Iran. "If they are, it's at a very low level, but I don't believe they are at all," he wrote. Western intelligence officials say the two countries have grown closer during this year's war in the Middle East. In earlier reports, the FT said Moscow helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missiles and sold it Verba shoulder-fired air defense missiles.kyivpost.com+1

Analysts weigh in

Nicole Grajewski of the Carnegie Endowment told the FT the order shows "Russia's willingness to continue supplying Iran despite its own wartime demands." Hanna Notte of the James Martin Center for Nonproliferation Studies said Moscow still has "certain red lines." In her view, its help to Iran "is operationally helpful but is not the game changer in this war".jpost.com