How dangerous is Russia's Banderol cruise missile? Expert explains
Photo: Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, adviser to Ukraine's Defense Minister and military technology expert (facebook.com/Serhii.Flash)
Russia is scaling up production of its Banderol cruise missile. An expert has explained the threat it poses to Ukraine, according to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, an adviser to Ukraine's Defense Minister and a military technology expert.
"Flash" reveals details about the Banderol missile
The expert noted that there has recently been growing attention on the Banderol missile, although he first described it in detail more than a year ago.
"The production target for this year is 120 missiles per month. That means the enemy will be able to launch four of these missiles every day. In my assessment, the factory has not yet reached its planned production capacity," Flash said.
How the missile is launched
According to the expert, the missile can be launched from:
- airborne platforms;
- Tornado multiple launch rocket systems (MLRS).
"It is no coincidence that it was designed with a diameter of 30 centimeters. At the moment, the Banderol is being launched from the Orion UAV," Flash said.
In his view, the modern battlefield has demonstrated how difficult it is to use large drones over the front line and deep behind enemy lines because they are too easy to shoot down.
"That is why they found a new role for the Orion - launching Banderol missiles from Russian territory. Launches from Mi-8 helicopters have also been tested," he added.
Other characteristics of the Banderol
Beskrestnov highlighted several additional features of the cruise missile:
- It carries an OFBCh-150 high-explosive fragmentation warhead containing 50 kilograms of explosives. Its destructive power can roughly be compared to a Shahed drone equipped with a double warhead (90 kg).
- It has a range of up to 500 kilometers, although the longest strike distance recorded by the Ukrainian military so far has been about 300 kilometers.
- It typically flies at altitudes of 400 to 2,000 meters but descends to around 200 meters before striking its target.
- It is capable of highly active maneuvering during flight and needs only about 2.5 kilometers to turn around.
- It relies on satellite navigation but is vulnerable to electronic warfare, although it is equipped with an autonomous navigation system.
The expert said he does not consider the Banderol to be anything extraordinary, describing it as a low-cost cruise missile with a relatively small warhead.
As previously reported, Russia used the new Banderol loitering munition during a large-scale attack on Kyiv. It is capable of flying up to 500 kilometers and carrying up to 150 kilograms of explosives.
Russia has also begun using the new Banderol drone in attacks. The drone is powered by a jet engine and can reach speeds of up to 500 km/h.
