During a massive combined strike on Kyiv that took place on the night of June 15, the Russian Armed Forces deployed a new type of weapon — the «Banderol» loitering munition. According to Ukrainian intelligence, this munition is capable of carrying up to 150 kg of explosives and traveling distances of up to 500 kilometers. Experts assess it as a more complex and expensive alternative to the widely known kamikaze drones.

Technical specifications and developer

According to information from the Main Directorate of Intelligence (GUR) of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine, the developer of the «Banderol» is the sanctioned enterprise «Kronstadt». The primary carrier for this munition is the «Orion» unmanned aerial vehicle, also produced by this company. Additionally, work is underway to adapt the missile for launch from Mi-28N attack helicopters.

The key feature of the «Banderol» is its maneuverability: it is capable of performing turns with a smaller radius than typical Russian-made cruise missiles (such as the Kh-101, 3M-14, 9M727, or Kh-69), while maintaining a flight trajectory characteristic of cruise missiles.

The technical parameters of the new weapon are impressive:

  • Flight range: up to 500 km.
  • Speed: up to 500 km/h.
  • Warhead: up to 150 kg of explosive material.
  • Fuel: aviation kerosene.

Global supply chain of components

An analysis of the munition's design conducted by GUR experts revealed the use of a large number of foreign components. In particular, the «Banderol» is equipped with a Swiwin SW800Pro jet engine made in China. Murata batteries from Japan and Dynamixel MX-64AR servos from the South Korean company Robotis were also identified. In total, almost two dozen microchips produced in the USA, China, Switzerland, Japan, and South Korea were detected in the system.

Expert opinion: advantages and disadvantages

Aerospace expert Konstantin Krivolap, in a comment to RBK-Ukraine, noted that the main advantage of the «Banderol» is its high speed compared to ordinary drones. This property theoretically allows the munition to make pinpoint breakthroughs in the Ukrainian air defense system.

However, the expert is skeptical about the prospects for the mass use of this weapon. According to him, the «Banderol» is approximately three times more expensive than the «Shahed» kamikaze drone, which contradicts the current trend of «many and cheap». Moreover, due to its large dimensions, the munition becomes a convenient target for jet aviation and anti-aircraft systems.

«This type of weapon has fairly limited applications. To launch it, a helicopter or an «Orlan» type UAV must be lifted into the air, which makes the process less convenient», — Krivolap emphasized.

Context of the attack on Kyiv

The use of the «Banderol» occurred as part of a large-scale attack during which Russia used more than 680 munitions. The attackers' arsenal included hypersonic «Zircon» missiles, «Iskander» ballistic missiles, cruise missiles, and hundreds of various types of unmanned aerial vehicles. Ukrainian air defenses managed to destroy or suppress 632 aerial targets.

As a result of the strike, damage was recorded in 10 districts of the capital. According to the latest data, five people were killed and more than 30 were injured.