On April 27, 2026, the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine distributed material about the new Russian aviation cruise missile S-71K "Carpet", which, as stated, was first used by the Russian side in combat operations in Ukraine since the end of 2025.
Image of the new Russian S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet") (c) Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
This missile is a sample of a "cheapened" high-precision long-range aviation munition and was developed by the Sukhoi Design Bureau of PJSC United Aircraft Corporation (UAC) specifically for use in the armament of the fifth-generation Su-57 fighter, and in the future should be integrated into the armament complex of the S-70 Okhotnik attack UAV.
According to the open publications of the Sukhoi Design Bureau, the development of a family of long-range precision-guided aviation munitions of the S-71 family (sometimes referred to as "strike UAVs") has been underway since at least 2019. According to published data, the family has provided two versions.:
- The S-71K product (code "Carpet") is a guided low-visibility weapon module designed to accommodate bombs of various calibers, with low radar and IR visibility. and designed for covert destruction of targets with previously known coordinates.
- The S-71M product (code "Monochrome") is an air-launched barrage munition equipped with an on-board intelligent search and guidance system based on a neural network designed for autonomous search and destruction of targets in a given area, with automatic detection, recognition and decision-making to defeat.
According to the publication of the GUR, the S-71K "Carpet" ammunition is a cruise missile, the fuselage of which is designed to meet the requirements of stealth and is made of a multilayer fiberglass-based material with additional reinforcement, and the internal elements of the frame are made of aluminum alloys. The front folding wing and fixed stabilizers are used, the keel is missing. The warhead is a standard high-explosive fragmentation aircraft bomb OFAB-250-270 caliber 250 kg, mounted in a power frame in front of the fuselage of the rocket. The rocket is equipped with a small-sized R500 turbojet engine with a thrust of 70 kgf developed and manufactured by Reynolds LLC (Moscow), which has been part of the United Engine Corporation since 2024. The design involves the use of a main and two side fuel tanks, which provides a probable flight range of up to 300 km.
The guidance system of the S-71K rocket is inertial-satellite, and according to Ukrainian data, includes a flight controller, an inertial navigation system based on simple sensors, as well as a power supply system. It is stated that the predominant part of the electronic component base is of foreign manufacture.: American, Chinese, Swiss, Japanese, German, Taiwanese and Irish production.
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The S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet") that fell on the territory of Ukraine during combat use. The warhead in the form of an aircraft bomb OFAB-250-270 caliber 250 kg (c) is clearly visible. The Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
The appearance of the S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet") (c) The Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine
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Prototypes of the S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet") (c) Sukhoi Design Bureau
jpg" title="One of the prototypes of the Su-57 (T-50) fighter with a suspended prototype of the S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet"), 2025">
One of the prototypes of the Su-57 (T-50) fighter with a suspended prototype of the S-71K aviation cruise missile (code "Carpet"), 2025 (c) George N
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| A Su-57 fighter with suspended, presumably, prototypes of the S-71K (code "Carpet") and S-71M (code "Monochrome") cruise missiles. |
| Source: Sukhoi Design Bureau |
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| Prototype of the S-71M aviation cruise missile (code "Monochrome") (c) Sukhoi Design Bureau. |
| Source: Sukhoi Design Bureau |
