Russian defense-industry records provided to the Financial Times by the Ukrainian analysis group Dallas Analytics point to an order for 90 APU-L helicopter-mounted missile launchers for a customer identified as K-10. By comparing the code with other Russian documents and speaking to a person familiar with export contracts, the newspaper linked K-10 to Iran.
A May 2024 letter from Russian manufacturer Vympel warned that delays in supplying components could jeopardize several contracts. A production schedule lists both domestic and foreign customers. Alongside K-10, it shows a separate Chinese order for 192 APU-305 launchers.
The APU-L devices are designed to launch LMUR guided missiles, including those carried by Russian Mi-28 attack helicopters. The records envisaged production and shipments of components through December 2025. The order and schedule do not establish that the launchers were actually delivered to Iran.