Mirage 2000 operated by Ukraine's Forces shoots down Banderol missile with cannon for first time
Photo: French Mirage 2000 fighter jet (Getty Images)
A French Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet operated by the Ukrainian Air Force has, for the first time in history, destroyed a Russian S8000 Banderol cruise missile using its aircraft cannon, according to Militarnyi and the French project French Aid to Europe.
The first such case was reported by the French project French Aid to Europe, which tracks French military assistance. The time and exact location of the interception, as well as the pilot’s name, have not been disclosed.
To hit the missile with the cannon, the pilot had to approach it at close range. Air-to-air missiles are launched from a long distance, while cannon fire requires getting within range of a target flying at more than 500 km/h and hitting it at short range.
Ammunition for the aircraft cannon costs significantly less than air-to-air missiles, which Ukraine is short of. Defense Minister Yevhenii Khmara recently named these missiles among the key needs in his appeal to EU partners. Therefore, every target destroyed with a cannon helps preserve the scarce missile stockpile.
France transferred these fighter jets to Ukraine in 2025 from the reserves of its Air and Space Force. The aircraft is equipped with two 30-mm DEFA 554 cannons, each with 125 rounds. Its rate of fire reaches 1,800 rounds per minute.
Russia began using the Banderol in 2024 and later increasingly deployed these missiles, including during massive attacks. The missile’s main carrier is the Orion strike drone, and it is also being adapted for Mi-28N helicopters. Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence found more than 20 foreign components in the Banderol, including ten US-made microchips.
Protecting Ukrainian airspace remains one of the main challenges. Recently, Volodymyr Zelenskyy instructed officials to verify agreements with partners regarding F-16s and air defense missiles. Jet-powered Shaheds have become a separate problem, and RBC-Ukraine reported on whether their interception can be successfully organized in the near future.
