Leaked Russian Records Show Order for 90 Missile Launchers Coded for Iran; Delivery Unconfirmed

A leaked Russian production schedule lists an export order for 90 APU-L twin-rail missile launchers destined for a buyer coded "K-10." Other internal Russian paperwork identifies K-10 as Iran.

The documents come from Dallas Analytics, a Ukrainian private defense intelligence group. The Financial Times reported on the launcher order Thursday, Nov. 5, and the firm also shared the files with the Guardian and Fox News Digital.

The records do not establish whether the launchers ever reached Iran. Dallas Analytics told Fox News Digital the contract itself is "a very strong proof" of the transfer.

What the records say

A May 2024 schedule drawn up by Vympel, a Russian designer of missiles and launch systems, lists the 90-launcher order. Deliveries within the Russian production chain were scheduled from late 2024 through December 2025.

A letter accompanying that schedule was co-signed by the head of the Russian Defense Ministry's 123rd Military Representation. That puts a ministry official on the paperwork.

The K-10 label is tied to Iran by separate documents. An October 2022 supply request for Yak-130 aircraft equipment lists the consignee as "K10 Iran." The acting head of the ministry's 704th Military Representation countersigned it.

A production schedule also lists six Yak-130 trainers for K-10. Iranian state media showed the aircraft entering service in September 2023. Dallas Analytics said the tail number on one Iranian Yak-130 matches the number in the Russian factory records.

The weapon

The APU-L launcher carries two LMUR missiles, also known as Product 305 or the Kh-39. The missile weighs roughly 230 pounds and carries a 55-pound warhead. An operator can steer it in flight using an electro-optical seeker and a two-way radio link.

Russian forces have used it widely in Ukraine since it entered service in 2022. According to the U.S. Army's Worldwide Equipment Guide, the launcher is designed for the Mi-28 attack helicopter.

Iran announced in November 2023 that arrangements to receive Mi-28s had been finalized. Export-variant Mi-28NE helicopters were photographed in Iran in January 2026.

A pattern of Russian help

The launcher order is not the first allegation of its kind. In September, the Financial Times reported, citing leaked Russian correspondence, travel records and military patents, that Russia secretly helped Iran develop supersonic cruise missile technology. The program, codenamed C430L, began in 2023 and continued through this year's war involving Iran, the United States and Israel, according to the FT.

"For the Iranians, this would give them a qualitatively new strategic weapon system that could threaten US Navy vessels," Jim Lamson, a former CIA military analyst specializing in Iran, told the FT.

European intelligence agencies have found that Russia gave Iran data and satellite imagery that could help target U.S. forces in the Middle East, the Guardian reported. Those agencies have also warned that Moscow was preparing to supply Tehran with explosive-laden drones. U.S. intelligence has assessed that Russia gave Iran the locations of American military assets and, more recently, satellite imagery and weapons components, according to reports.

Moscow has denied reports that it is supplying military equipment to Iran.

The administration's position

President Donald Trump has played down Moscow's role. Last month he wrote that Russia was doing "very little, if anything" to help Tehran. The Guardian reported that he argued he did not want to drive Moscow away from negotiations to end the war in Ukraine.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio has said Russian assistance is not impeding U.S. military operations. Secretary of War Pete Hegseth has said the U.S. is tracking Moscow's support and accounting for it in its battle plans.

The administration has also gone after Iran's weapons pipeline directly. The Treasury Department has targeted networks it says helped Iran seek weapons and components abroad, including Chinese-made man-portable air-defense systems. This week the State Department sanctioned a Russia-based individual it said was involved in efforts to help Iran procure those systems.

What Russia gets out of it

The Guardian reports that observers widely regard Moscow as one of the main winners of a prolonged Iran war. Shipping disruptions through the Strait of Hormuz and attacks on Gulf energy infrastructure have pushed global energy prices up. That means more oil revenue for the Kremlin's war in Ukraine.

The war has also pulled Western military resources away from Ukraine, further straining Kyiv's access to U.S.-made Patriot interceptors.

The source of these documents has its own stake. Dallas Analytics is Ukrainian, and Ukraine is fighting Russia. Nothing in the files confirms the launchers left Russia, and neither the Kremlin nor Tehran has acknowledged the contract.

Washington is weighing its next steps in the Iran war after the Nov. 3 midterm elections. Whether the administration revisits its public line on Russian support, or confirms that the K-10 launchers reached Iran, has not been announced.