russian Plans to Modify Vikhr-1 Missile for Its Usage with Drones Became Known
The president of russian JSC Kalashnikov Concern, Alan Lushnikov stated that the concern’s specialists are currently working on adapting their Vikhr-1 air-launched anti-tank missiles to unmanned aerial vehicles.
“The Vikhr-1 missile is universal and can be launched from any carrier without any changes of its design. The missile integration work is carried out by manufacturers of carriers in cooperation with our specialists,” Lushnikov said. However, there is no information on the progress of the work or the deadline.
It should be noted that russians announced their plans to arm drones with these guided missiles a year ago.
Then, Lushnikov claimed that they needed to do “serious work” with the chief designer to determine the need for further work. At the time, it was not known whether the missile would need to be redesigned for this purpose or not. russians also claimed that they decided to arm the drones with the Vikhr missile based on the results of its operation on the battlefield.
It is worth recalling that the development of the Vykhr missile began in the 1980s. Its modification 9M127-1 Vikhr-1, which is part of the 9K121M Vikhr-M system, is being mass-produced.
Since the beginning of russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, russian occupiers have been using this missiles primarily from Ka-52 helicopters.
In October of 2023, it was reported that russian occupation forces began using Vikhr-1 missiles from their Mi-28NM helicopters on the battlefield. Then it was reported of a strange error that had occurred during the launch. The displays issued caution signals as if the helicopter was illuminated by enemy radar or targeted by an anti-aircraft missile.The range of the Vikhr-1 missile is 8 km, while other sources report a range of 10 km. This allows enemy helicopters to launch at a relatively safe distance without being exposed to MANPADS or other short-range air defense systems.
Earlier War Ukraine-Russia News Hub reported about russian attack drone made out of Tu-141 Strizh.