New Details Emerge on Russia's S-71K Air-Launched Missile from Ukrainian Intelligence Report

Ukraine has released additional details on Russia's S-71K Kovyor air-launched missile, which has been used in combat since late last year. The Ukrainian Ministry of Defense’s Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) publicly shared new information, including an interactive 3D model of the missile.

The War Zone reported that this disclosure highlights Russia's efforts to develop alternatives to more established and costly legacy air-launched cruise missiles, with current production levels struggling to meet wartime needs.

The S-71K missile was specifically developed for the Su-57 Felon fighter, according to the GUR. It represents the United Aircraft Corporation’s (UAC) initial venture into missile manufacturing. The GUR stated that the new missile was first deployed by Russia late last year.

The warhead of the S-71K utilizes a 551-pound OFAB-250-270 high-explosive fragmentation bomb, the GUR said. This bomb was developed in the Cold War as a free-fall air-launched weapon. The S-71K airframe features a low-observable shape with a trapezoidal cross section, chined nose, pop-out swept wings, and an inverted V-tail.

The airframe is made from a multi-layer fiberglass material with additional reinforcement, while other internal elements are made of aluminum alloys, according to the GUR. Available imagery of the S-71K wreckage reveals a top-mounted conformal engine intake feeding a pentagon-shaped intake duct.

The vast majority of the S-71K’s electronic components are of foreign origin, including items manufactured in China, Germany, Ireland, Japan, Switzerland, Taiwan, and the United States.

The S-71K is powered by a compact R500 turbojet engine produced by UAC, the GUR reported. It features an inertial navigation system based on simple sensors. The missile has three separate internal fuel tanks.

Ukraine assesses that the S-71K has an operational range of up to 186 miles and at altitudes of up to 27,000 feet. Earlier reports suggest that the missile flies at a speed of Mach 0.6. It was reported that approval had been received to begin producing the S-71 after significant design changes based on lessons from the Ukraine conflict.

The S-71K has been tested on the Su-57 aircraft with captive-carry trials in April 2024 at the Russian flight research center in Zhukovsky. Imagery shared on X shows a T-50 with S-71K smart cruise missile taking off from Zhukovsky this summer.

The S-71K is expected to be integrated with the S-70 Okhotnik UCAV. Unconfirmed reports from Russia suggested that the S-71M Monokhrom may have been used in an attack on a Ukrainian HIMARS launcher in the Chernihiv region earlier this year. The Russian military stressed that the target in the Chernihiv region was destroyed by a Geran loitering munition.

The War Zone reported that the S-71M is described as a kamikaze drone with human-in-the-loop capability for dynamic targeting. In March of this year, the GUR revealed details of the Izdeliye 30 air-launched cruise missile, including an interactive 3D model and data on 20 enterprises involved in its production.

The Izdeliye 30 has a range of at least 930 miles, according to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine.

The Kh-69 air-launched cruise missile has a maximum range of 290 km, cruise speed of 700-1,000 km/h, and warhead of 300-310 kg. The War Zone noted that the S-71K appears tailored for tactical crewed and uncrewed aircraft, with its limited range compensated by low-observable features.

It offers a cheaper alternative to the Kh-69, which is associated with the Su-57 but can also be launched by other Russian tactical aircraft.

The deployment of the S-71K poses an additional challenge for Ukraine’s air defense forces, given the scarcity of Western-supplied ground-based systems. The GUR emphasized that continued access to foreign technologies allows Russia to develop and scale new weapons in the war against Ukraine.

Iran, Taiwan, and other nations, while a downed S-70 Okhotnik-B UCAV also had multiple foreign components.