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Russia Unveils KH-UAV Guided Missile for Precision Strikes by Combat Drones at World Defense Show 2026.
Russia’s KBP Instrument Design Bureau introduced its KH-UAV air-launched guided missile for unmanned aerial vehicles at the World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh. The reveal underscores Moscow’s focus on compact precision munitions tailored for armed drones, a segment reshaping modern battlefield strike options.
On 9 February 2026, Russia’s KBP Instrument Design Bureau presented the KH-UAV air-launched guided missile for unmanned aerial vehicles at the World Defense Show in Riyadh, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The biennial exhibition, organized under the authority of Saudi Arabia’s General Authority for Military Industries, is positioned as a platform for defense procurement dialogue and industrial cooperation across air, land, sea, space, and security domains. The KH-UAV’s presence reflects the continuing shift toward UAV-enabled precision strike, where armed forces seek persistent surveillance paired with rapid, controlled engagement options. In a regional market shaped by multi-domain modernization and high readiness requirements, compact UAV munitions have become a key indicator of how suppliers intend to address operational demand for scalable precision effects.
Russia’s KBP Instrument Design Bureau unveiled the KH-UAV, a compact air-launched guided missile designed for unmanned aerial vehicles, at World Defense Show 2026 in Riyadh, highlighting Moscow’s push into the growing market for drone-based precision strike systems (Picture Source: Army Recognition Group)
World Defense Show has developed into a Gulf-facing defense exhibition designed to connect international manufacturers with regional stakeholders while highlighting integration and industrial participation objectives aligned with Saudi policy priorities. For exhibitors, Riyadh offers visibility in a market where acquisition decisions increasingly emphasize not only platform performance but also interoperability, sustainment, and integration into existing command, control, and intelligence architectures. Within this framework, the display of UAV-carried guided weapons directly addresses a capability area that has expanded rapidly, driven by operational lessons from recent conflicts and the proliferation of unmanned systems across force structures.
KBP Instrument Design Bureau, headquartered in Tula, is associated with the development of guided weapons and air defense-related technologies, and is considered part of Russia’s broader defense-industrial base. Its participation in Riyadh signals continued interest in positioning Russian precision effects for export audiences, including weapon families designed to be integrated with unmanned platforms. The showcasing of KH-UAV also illustrates the growing competition among suppliers seeking to offer end-to-end strike solutions that combine sensors, targeting methods, and compact munitions compatible with medium UAV payload constraints.
This presentation comes after imagery circulated in late 2025 showing Russia’s Orion medium-altitude long-endurance UAV carrying two missiles referred to as Kh-BPLA, which Army Recognition assessed as a visible step toward a more mature integration of short-range precision air-to-surface weapons on Russian MALE platforms. That reporting framed the configuration as potentially expanding the UAV’s ability to deliver persistent, low-signature precision strikes, while also illustrating how this munition family is being promoted across international venues. The appearance of KH-UAV at Riyadh therefore fits into a broader pattern in which the weapon is increasingly positioned not only as a concept, but as part of an operationally relevant payload set for armed UAVs.
The KH-UAV is presented as an air-launched guided missile intended for carriage by unmanned aerial vehicles, with employment based on an onboard optical targeting chain supported by laser designation. In practical terms, this concept supports a “sensor-to-shooter” loop within the same platform, enabling detection, tracking, and engagement without requiring manned aircraft to enter the immediate threat area. This approach is particularly relevant for missions involving time-sensitive targets, wide-area overwatch, and operations where risk management and persistence are central to mission design.
The official technical data provided by KBP indicates a minimum missile flight range of 2 km and a maximum missile flight range of 8 km, positioning KH-UAV within a short-to-medium range envelope suited to UAV patrol and strike missions. The same specifications cite a maximum launch altitude of 4 km, a parameter that frames how the weapon can be employed across typical UAV operating profiles. An additional constraint is provided through the allowable target direction angle at launch, listed as ±10 degrees, which suggests defined engagement geometry requirements that would influence attack profiles, designation stability, and the timing of release.
Weight figures in the official data are best interpreted as an integration metric rather than a warhead-related distinction. The KH-UAV is listed at 42 kg when carried in its container-launcher and 32 kg without the container, indicating a configuration intended for external carriage under a UAV wing or hardpoint with associated launch hardware. These values are consistent with a munition designed to be carried in meaningful numbers on medium-class UAVs, where payload capacity must be balanced against endurance, altitude, and station time, particularly during persistent surveillance missions that aim to remain strike-ready over extended periods.
The munition is fitted with a high-explosive fragmentation warhead, listed at 6 kg with a 3.2 kg explosive fill. This combination points to a lethality model built around controlled blast and fragmentation effects rather than heavy-armor penetration, making it well suited to engaging soft targets, lightly protected vehicles, exposed systems, and other point objectives. In tactical terms, pairing a compact HE-frag payload with a laser-supported engagement chain allows a UAV to deliver a measured effect on demand, reducing the need for repeated passes or heavier ordnance while supporting tighter collateral-damage management. The operational value of this profile ultimately depends on the quality of target detection, positive identification, and stable designation throughout the engagement sequence, especially in cluttered or contested environments.
For Gulf States and the wider Gulf defense market, the KH-UAV concept aligns with the region’s sustained investment in surveillance, border security, counter-asymmetric operations, and rapid-response strike capabilities. Compact laser-designated munitions carried by UAVs can support persistent armed overwatch, enhance responsiveness during dispersed engagements, and reduce reliance on high-value manned sorties for routine precision tasks. At the same time, procurement relevance in the Gulf will be determined by integration depth into existing ISR and C2 architectures, training pipelines, sustainment resilience, and the extent to which suppliers can provide a credible lifecycle support framework alongside the weapon system.
KBP’s presentation of the KH-UAV at World Defense Show 2026 illustrates the continued adaptation of guided munitions to unmanned platforms and the increasing centrality of UAV-enabled strike in modern operational concepts. The official specifications point to a short-to-medium range, UAV-optimized precision effect built around laser-supported engagement, with clearly defined employment parameters that shape tactics and integration requirements. For Gulf customers assessing capability development, systems of this class offer operational flexibility and persistent precision, while acquisition decisions will remain shaped by long-term integration, supportability, and strategic alignment considerations that govern defense procurement across the region.
Written by Teoman S. Nicanci – Defense Analyst, Army Recognition Group
Teoman S. Nicanci holds degrees in Political Science, Comparative and International Politics, and International Relations and Diplomacy from leading Belgian universities, with research focused on Russian strategic behavior, defense technology, and modern warfare. He is a defense analyst at Army Recognition, specializing in the global defense industry, military armament, and emerging defense technologies.