{"id":163937,"date":"2026-11-08T15:06:00","date_gmt":"2026-11-08T09:36:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/?p=163937"},"modified":"2026-11-08T14:16:07","modified_gmt":"2026-11-08T08:46:07","slug":"russias-mi-28nm-attack-helicopter-fires-a-long-range-cruise-missile","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/aviationa2z.com\/index.php\/2026\/11\/08\/russias-mi-28nm-attack-helicopter-fires-a-long-range-cruise-missile\/","title":{"rendered":"Russia’s Mi-28NM Attack Helicopter Fires a Long-Range Cruise Missile for the First Time"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

MOSCOW-<\/strong> Russia\u2019s Defense Ministry<\/a> has released footage of a Mi-28NM Havoc attack helicopter firing a small, low-cost cruise missile, reportedly during combat operations in Ukraine.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

It is the clearest official sign yet that Russia is exploring a non-traditional launch platform for its emerging family of inexpensive standoff weapons.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The missile could be the S8000 Banderol or the Dan-T. Unconfirmed Ukrainian reports link the helicopter to launches against targets around Odesa (ODS), and Russia has pitched the Dan-T for export at an airshow in El Alamein (DBB), Egypt.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mi-28
Photo: By Vitaly V. Kuzmin – http:\/\/vitalykuzmin.net\/?q=node\/513, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=27929857<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Russia Explores Helicopter Launches for Cheap Cruise Missiles<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The video shows one missile leaving a pylon beneath the helicopter\u2019s left-side stub wing. After the mission, the helicopter returns with an unfired missile still hanging under its right-side stub wing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The Defense Ministry has not provided a date, a precise location, or details about the target. It has also not identified the weapon. The missile could be the S8000 Banderol or the Dan-T, two closely related and visually very similar Russian developments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The footage is not entirely unexpected. Earlier this year, photographs began circulating of a Mi-28NM on the ground carrying what appeared to be the same missile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In August, unconfirmed reports from Ukraine<\/a> said Russia was using the helicopter as a Banderol launch platform. These reports included launches from over the Sea of Azov against targets around Odesa.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Using a helicopter to launch this type of weapon is particularly unusual. A relatively slow, low-flying platform like the Mi-28 is much more vulnerable to enemy air defenses than a fixed-wing tactical aircraft.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

However, the reported range of the Banderol and Dan-T would allow the helicopter to launch well away from the intended target. It could potentially fire from across the border while remaining in Russian airspace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For comparison, the Kh-38 (or LMUR) missile is otherwise the farthest-reaching Mi-28 weapon. Its maximum range is a little over nine miles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Mi-28
Photo: By Kirill Borisenko – Own work, CC BY-SA 4.0, https:\/\/commons.wikimedia.org\/w\/index.php?curid=108865459<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Banderol Specifications and Warhead Figures<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Russian company Kronstadt developed the Banderol. Ukrainian military intelligence (GUR) first detailed it in the spring of 2025. According to GUR, the missile has the following characteristics:<\/p>\n\n\n\n