The Russian KBP Instrument Design Bureau has unveiled the Kh-BPLA guided missile designed for use from unmanned aerial vehicles.

This new missile model, along with its specifications, was presented at the Army-2024 defense technology exhibition in Moscow.

Building on the technological advancements from the Kornet anti-tank missile system and the Krasnopol high-precision artillery shell, the Kh-BPLA (X-UAV) missile has been developed for deployment from UAVs against ground and surface targets.

These targets include concentrations of enemy personnel, unarmored, and lightly armored vehicles.

The Kh-BPLA missile inherits its primary design features from the 9M133 Kornet-D anti-tank missile but is heavier, weighing 32 kilograms compared to the Kornet-D’s 26 kilograms.

Despite the weight increase, the interchangeable warhead’s weight remains similar, with the high-explosive version weighing 6 kilograms, and the thermobaric warhead weighing 3.2 kilograms.

It should be noted that some data in the published bulletins may be inaccurate, as suggested by the 10 kilogram discrepancy between the weight of the missile in the transport and launch canister and without it.

The missile uses a reflected laser beam for guidance, where the drone illuminates the target until impact. This guidance system allows the missile to hit targets at a distance of up to 8 kilometers and an altitude of up to 4,000 meters.

Apparently, the guidance module located in the nose of the missile is likely derived from the Krasnopol artillery system, which uses the same guidance method.

The development of the aviation version of the Kornet-D missile was first reported in 2021, with Russian media releasing footage of test launches from the Orion reconnaissance and strike drone.

It was also reported that the missile had been tested with the Forpost UAV and the Ka-52M attack helicopter.

Militarnyi recently reported that, at this same exhibition, Russian designers presented an unmanned self-propelled artillery system based on the D-30 howitzer.