Russia to provide Iran with 90 missile launchers as military ties grow: Reports

Russia has agreed to supply Iran with 90 helicopter-mounted launchers for precision-guided missiles under an export contract with a Russian defense manufacturing company, the Financial Times reported on Thursday, the latest sign of the countries' expanding military cooperation amid escalating regional tensions.Details: The FT said it had obtained previously undisclosed Russian defense industry documents, including a production schedule covering 2024 and 2025, from the Vympel State Machine Building Design Bureau, a subsidiary of Russia’s state-owned KTRV defense conglomerate.The documents include an export order for 90 APU-L missile launchers for a buyer identified as “K-10,” a code used in Russian defense documents to refer to Iran, according to the FT. They also list another foreign buyer, China, with an order for 192 APU-305 launchers. Seven Russian customers also appear in the documents.The launchers, mounted on Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters, are designed to carry LMURs, or Izdeliye 305s, the Russian-produced light multipurpose guided missile that can strike moving targets at a distance of up to 14 kilometers (8.7 miles).