Upgraded Vikhr missile effectively used against drones in combat, says Kalashnikov CEO

MOSCOW, August 10. /TASS/. The Vikhr missile, upgraded by the Kalashnikov Group, is being used effectively against enemy drones, Kalashnikov Group CEO, board member of the Union of Russian Machine-Building Enterprises Alan Lushnikov said in an interview with TASS Director General Andrey Kondrashov.

"It (the Vikhr missile – TASS) was developed as an air-to-ground anti-tank missile for the Ka-52 helicopter. And during the Ukrainian counteroffensive in 2023, it proved highly effective when used by army aviation against armored vehicles. But then, once again, the conditions of the military conflict shifted amid the widespread use of drones, including those equipped with fiber-optic sensors, and armored vehicles stopped appearing on the battlefield. And the missile is now being used against drones," he noted.

At the same time, the company initiated modifications to the missile by fitting it with a non-contact target sensor. It now functions on an air-to-air basis and is already being used in combat mode. The missile is guided along a laser path, and the operator tracks it and issues target designations, added the Kalashnikov CEO.