Russia’s producer of the S8000 Banderol cruise missile intended to produce nearly 250 missiles a month at the outset of production. This estimate is according to public tender information from early 2025 that procured components for the Banderol. Assuming planned production levels were reached and maintained, Russia will have built 4450 Banderols by the end of September 2026.
In May 2025, Russian forces introduced the S8000 Banderol missile into service. Developed and produced by JSC Kronshtadt, the Banderol is a small cruise missile with a range of 500 kilometers and a warhead mass of up to 150 kilograms, and is powered by a Chinese turbojet engine. Throughout 2025 and 2026, the weapon has seen increasing deployment by Russian forces, especially during the combined ballistic and cruise missile campaign of summer 2026.
According to Vladyslav Vlasiuk, the Presidential Commissioner for Sanctions Policy of Ukraine, 80 percent of attacks on Odesa’s food and port infrastructure during June and July were carried out with the Banderol missile. The missile was also used on attacks on the Kyiv region throughout the summer 2026, with the Ukrainian Air Force stating that the frequency of Banderol use is increasing. Ukrainian analyst Serhii Beskrestnov stated that the Banderol is significantly more maneuverable than other Russian cruise missile platforms, with a turning radius of 2.5 kilometers. According to Beskrestnov, the missile cruises between 400 and 2000 meters, descending to an altitude of 200 meters before initiating an attack.
Kronshtadt Orion UAV equipped with Banderol missile
On February 14, 2025, JSC Kronshtadt created an open tender for procurement of components related to the production of the Banderol missile. All entries within the tender begin with S8000, which Ukrainian Defense Intelligence claims to be the alphanumerical designation for the missile. Within the tender, JSC Kronshtadt places specifications for various components, such as inertial navigation modules, onboard computers, power modules, and pressure sensors, as well as internal wiring harnesses for engines, antennas and radio modems. Additionally, the tender specifies the need for various brackets, lugs, mounts, and cables. Components mentioned in the tender, such as the Kometa M-8 antenna and RFD900+ modem have been found in missile debris. Furthermore, the tender specifies a need for a wing deployment wiring harness. Such a system is required for aerial systems with folding wings, which the Banderol is equipped with. The Banderol appears to be the only system produced by JSC Kronshtadt with similar wings.
Tender from JSC Kronshtadt
It is possible to estimate the planned production numbers of these missiles by assessing elements of the missile which are only used once per unit produced, such as the wiring harnesses for the Kometa M-8 antenna, RFD900+ radio modem, and folding wings. For these aforementioned components, JSC Kronshtadt placed a requirement of 200 units each in April 2025, with additional requirements of 250 units a month through the end of October 2025, reflecting an increase in production. Assuming the projected production of 250 missiles a month was reached and remains the same, a total of 4450 missiles will be produced by the end of September 2026. This production approximation is over triple that of Ukrainian Defense Intelligence, which estimates 80 missiles a month are produced.
Fragments of a Banderol missile following a strike in Kharkiv on August 5
The tender also allows a glimpse into the planned capabilities of the missile at the start of production. The Banderol is equipped with the Kometa-M8, a CRP antenna (CRPA) produced by the Russian company JSC VNIIR-Progress allowing the missile to resist jamming of its satellite navigation antennas from 7 directions. Compared to Russian one-way attack drones such as the Geran-2 which has been increasingly equipped with 16 channel CRPAs, the Banderol is more susceptible to electronic warfare provided no upgrades have been made. Furthermore, the missile is equipped with a RFD900+ modem, a radio communication module with over 40 kilometers of range produced by the Australian company RFDesign.
Furthermore, the presence of an inertial navigation system allows for the missile to continue navigating without a satellite signal via dead reckoning using a system of gyroscopes and accelerometers. This system is used in situations when the CRPA is completely jammed.
A Kometa M-8 CRP antenna
Earlier, on January 28, 2025, JSC Kronshtadt issued a tender in which the company listed requirements for testing equipment for SWIWIN SW400Pro and SW800Pro jet engines manufactured by SWIWIN Turbojet Power Equipment R&D Co. Ltd, as well as the PTE-800A2/TJ-800A2 engine produced by Xi’an Sky Phantom Power Technology Co., Ltd. The SW800Pro engine is the main jet engine used by the Banderol missile.
Tender specifications laid out by JSC Kronshtadt
As Russian use of the Banderol continues to expand, alternative launch platforms to the Kronshtadt Orion drone have been implemented. Russian forces have created ground-based launchers as well as helicopter based-systems for launching the missile. As Russia continues its aerial campaign against Ukraine, the use of the Banderol will continue to rise throughout the autumn and winter of 2026.
Fragments of Banderol missile following an attack in Balakliia on July 27
By Ryan X and Sammy M