Russia shows Mi-28 helicopter launching low-cost cruise missiles

Russia's Defense Ministry has released footage of a Mi-28NM attack helicopter firing a small, low-cost cruise missile during combat operations in Ukraine. The missile appears to be either the S8000 Banderol or the closely related Dan-T, two jet-powered weapons that look alike and have been described both as drones and as cruise missiles. The video shows the Mi-28NM "Night Hunter" launching the missile from a pylon under its stub wing. The ministry did not identify the target or the date of the strike. Earlier this year, photos of a Mi-28NM carrying a similar missile on its right pylon circulated on Russian channels, and Russian experts disagreed over whether it was a Banderol or a Dan-T, ICT-Online reported in September. Both weapons are often called strike drones in the media. In design and use, they work as small cruise missiles: they fly a set route at low altitude on a jet engine, steer with satellite and inertial navigation, and carry a warhead into the target without returning. The Banderol is built by Kronstadt, the company that also makes the Orion, known in Russia as Inokhodets, medium-altitude drone. Ukraine's military intelligence agency, HUR, says the missile is about 5 meters (16 feet) long, flies at about 500 km/h (310 mph), and has a range of up to 500 km (310 miles), with a warhead carrying about 50 kg (110 pounds) of explosives, FDD's Long War Journal reported. It uses a small commercial Chinese turbojet and an anti-jamming satellite navigation antenna. Ukraine first revealed details of the Banderol in 2025, and Russian state television showed it officially for the first time in July under an Orion drone. The Dan-T is a reworked version of the Dan-M aerial target drone, with the parachute and radar reflector removed and a warhead added. Analysts credit it with a range of about 500 km and a 135 kg warhead. It reportedly costs about 35% less than the Banderol, and Russia's Aerospace Forces are considering buying only the Dan-T, Militarnyi reported. A Ukrainian analyst has estimated that Russia plans to make about 10,000 Dan-T missiles in 2027. As of August, the Dan-T could be fired from ground launchers, the Mi-28 helicopter and Su-25SM3, Su-30SM, Su-34 and Su-57 jets, according to Militarnyi. Russian military bloggers have said the Mi-8 transport helicopter could be added later. Photos published in September also showed the Banderol prepared for the Su-34 and Su-35, and a ground launcher has been reported for it as well. A helicopter launch lets the Mi-28NM strike from well behind the front line. The helicopter's main guided weapons, such as the Ataka and Khrizantema anti-tank missiles, have ranges of only a few miles, while the Banderol and Dan-T can travel hundreds of kilometers.