Italmas

The Italmas (also designated BM-35 and Russian Object 54 / Product 54) is a long-range, one-way attack loitering munition developed in Russia. First shown publicly in September or October 2023, its development is attributed to the ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov Concern, with production linked to the Izhevsk-based IEMZ Kupol enterprise.

Design

The aircraft utilizes a construction consisting of a plywood fuselage and a delta-shaped wing. A plastic bottle serves as the fuel tank. Propulsion is provided by an off-the-shelf DLE-60 60 cc twin boxer two-stroke gasoline piston engine driving a propeller, a component commercially sold for model aircraft. The drone is launched using a catapult-style system. For targeting and guidance, the aircraft features a forward-facing camera with an analog video link operating around 3.3 GHz and is claimed to use artificial-intelligence navigation algorithms. Captured examples have contained a radar reflector and at least 41 foreign components sourced from China, Switzerland, the United States, and Taiwan.

Armament

The Italmas has a reported range of approximately 200 km (120 mi) and carries an explosive warhead payload of approximately 40 kg (88 lb).

Operational History

The first combat deployment of the Italmas occurred in October 2023 during the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The system has been used to conduct strikes against Ukrainian infrastructure and frontline settlements.

Variants

• Geran-3: A simplified variant of the baseline loitering munition.