A short video featuring the test firing of S-80FP Broneboyshchik (Armor Piercer) air-launched armor piercer rocket was uploaded on the YouTube account of the Russian Defense Ministry’s TV network Zvezda. The video, filmed on a camera fixed right next to one of the hardpoints of an Mi-35M military attack helicopter, shows the helicopter firing S-80FP rockets during a test flight.
The S-80FP Broneboishchik is a state-of-the-art 80mm air-to-surface rocket intended for both fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft and derived from the Russian Army’s S-80 unguided rocket. The S-80FP was designed by Splav corporation and features a new smaller and more compact engine and a new warhead increased by 50 percent in weight. According to Splav, the combat effectiveness of the new weapon has increased by 5 to 10 times compared with the S-80 unguided rocket introduced in the 1970s. The S-80FP can detonate before hitting the target, on impact or after penetrating the target.
