Kalashnikov KUB-10ME Loitering Munition

History

The Kalashnikov KUB-10ME is a Russian fixed-wing loitering munition developed for precision attacks against tactical targets. Kalashnikov describes the system as having a range of more than 100 km, electro-optical guidance, automated image-processing functions, and the ability to engage moving targets.

The KUB-10ME emerged publicly in 2026. Available reports differ on the exact date of its first public presentation: an EDR Magazine report dated 27 February 2026 stated that Kalashnikov had presented the system on 25 February, while Janes later described a Kalashnikov social-media post of 22 May 2026 as the first unveiling. Both sources establish that a recognizable KUB-10ME system existed during 2026.

Kalashnikov linked the development of the KUB-10ME to experience gained from contemporary combat operations. The manufacturer presented it as a tactical guided munition intended to strike targets at distances exceeding those associated with shorter-range expendable unmanned systems.

Development and presentation

According to the February 2026 report, Kalashnikov described the KUB-10ME as a tactical-class guided munition with a range exceeding 100 km. The system was presented with an optronic guidance system capable of tracking moving targets and with aerial photography and video equipment able to record mission data.

Kalashnikov identified a broad intended target set that includes unarmored and lightly armored vehicles, armored personnel carriers, command posts, air-defense systems, electronic-warfare and electronic-intelligence equipment, logistics facilities, unmanned-aircraft launch positions, personnel, and unsheltered aircraft or helicopters at airfields. These are manufacturer-stated mission roles rather than independently verified combat results.

Further details published after the May 2026 presentation described the guidance architecture as having developed beyond coordinate-only navigation. A RuAviation report stated that the KUB-10ME uses an electro-optical seeker together with onboard image processing. According to that account, automated recognition algorithms compare observed objects with an onboard image library and provide probabilistic classifications to assist the operator in confirming a target.

Frontline plans

On 9 August 2026, Kalashnikov Group CEO Alan Lushnikov told the Russian state news agency TASS that the KUB-10ME would soon appear on the frontline. The TASS report repeated a claimed range of more than 100 km and identified the KUB-10ME as a tactical guided loitering munition.

Janes reported the statement on 11 August and added that Kalashnikov claimed an approximately 10 kg warhead and an artificial-intelligence-supported homing seeker. The available sources do not provide independent confirmation that the KUB-10ME had entered operational frontline service by that date. The August statement therefore represents an announced near-term deployment plan rather than confirmed operational history.

Design

The KUB-10ME is a fixed-wing expendable unmanned aircraft designed to loiter or travel toward a target area before conducting a terminal attack. Public imagery released in 2026 shows only part of the airframe in some views, and the available sources do not provide confirmed dimensions, total mass, endurance, launch method, or complete structural details.

Guidance and mission systems

Kalashnikov describes the KUB-10ME as using an electro-optical seeker capable of tracking moving targets. The aircraft also carries imaging and data-recording equipment. Published descriptions indicate that onboard image-processing software can detect and classify objects within the sensor field of view.

The automated recognition function is described as a decision-support system rather than a fully autonomous engagement mechanism. According to published remarks attributed to Kalashnikov export representative Leonid Rokeakh, the onboard system produces probabilistic object classifications for the operator, who can use that information during target confirmation.

Kalashnikov has also described the guidance system as resistant to jamming and defensive countermeasures. The available source material does not provide technical details of the datalink, navigation architecture, anti-jamming methods, or seeker specifications, so the extent of this resistance cannot be independently assessed from the published information.

Propulsion

A 31-second TASS video released in August 2026 showed only the forward part of the KUB-10ME and did not reveal its propulsion system. However, images released by Kalashnikov and earlier TASS footage from May 2026 appear to show a two-cylinder piston engine. Because the available material does not include a formal engine specification, the engine type remains an identification based on published imagery rather than a fully documented technical characteristic.

Skat 350M cooperation

Kalashnikov states that the KUB-10ME can be paired with the company's Skat 350M reconnaissance and communications-relay unmanned aerial vehicle. Lushnikov described the two systems as working together, but the available sources do not establish whether the Skat 350M is required for all KUB-10ME missions or specifically for operations at ranges beyond the direct communications reach of the munition.

The cited information for the Skat 350M gives a maximum speed of up to 120 km/h, flight endurance of up to four hours, and range of up to 100 km. These figures belong to the Skat 350M and are not KUB-10ME specifications.

Program status

By August 2026, the KUB-10ME had been publicly presented and discussed by Kalashnikov as an impending frontline system. The manufacturer had released performance claims, target categories, guidance features, and environmental operating limits, while its chief executive stated that the munition would soon appear in combat operations.

The available sources do not confirm serial-production quantities, military acceptance, unit assignments, procurement contracts, or verified combat use. The KUB-10ME should therefore be regarded, on the evidence available here, as a physically demonstrated system approaching or preparing for operational deployment rather than a munition with independently confirmed service history.

Specifications (KUB-10ME)

General characteristics

• Type: Fixed-wing loitering munition.
• Manufacturer: Kalashnikov Group.
• Country of development: Russia.
• Warhead: Around 10 kg, according to a manufacturer claim reported in August 2026.

Performance

• Range: More than 100 km, claimed by Kalashnikov.
• Cruise speed: Approximately 120 km/h.
• Operating altitude: 80 to 1,800 m.
• Wind conditions: Operation described in gusts of up to 10 m/s.
• Operating temperature: -30°C to +40°C.
• Operating period: Day and night operation is claimed.

Guidance and mission equipment

• Seeker: Electro-optical seeker.
• Target tracking: Moving-target tracking is claimed.
• Image processing: Onboard automated detection and classification functions intended to support operator target confirmation.
• Recording equipment: Aerial photography and video system with data recording.

Related equipment

• Skat 350M: Kalashnikov reconnaissance and communications-relay UAV described as operating in conjunction with the KUB-10ME.