The S8000 Banderol It is a new cruise missile, produced by the Russian company Kronshtadt Group, which Russian troops are using in Ukraine and which Kyiv military intelligence has uncovered the details. The Banderol It is a missile equipped with a small jet engine and retractable wings, with a range of 500 kilometers and a speed of 500 km/h, and would be capable of carrying a warhead of about 113 kilograms. The S8000 was developed to be carried and released from the Kronshtadt Orion UAV, although the Ukrainians believe that its use on the Mil Mi-28 attack helicopter is now imminent.
The possibility of equipping the Mil Mi-28 Havoc (photo below) with the S8000 missiles is interesting because it would imply a further "transformation" of the helicopter that constitutes the "backbone" of the Russian Aerospace Forces, after the changes introduced starting from 2021, in continuity, moreover, with the doctrinal evolution on the "third dimension" introduced by Moscow, which has overcome the previous Soviet approach.
In Syria, theHavoc It was equipped with a 9M120 anti-tank missile Ataka-B and, despite the good results achieved against IFVs and MBTs, in the preparation phase for the launch, also due to the limited range of 10 km, which forced the helicopter to remain in "hovering" along the line of sight, the platform was particularly exposed to anti-aircraft missiles and artillery. This problem also emerged for the Kamov Ka-52s used in Ukraine, whose confirmed downings were often due to the fact that the Ukrainians had an easy game in hitting the Alligator Russians with anti-tank missiles, in the hovering flight phase.
The vulnerability of the Mil Mi-28 had convinced Russian military and industrial engineers to carry out a thorough restyling of the helicopter, with new optronics, reinforced armor, fire detectors and more powerful engines. The armament systems were also modified, with the lightening of the cannon and the replacement of the 9M120 with the Izdelije 305 (LMUR) light air-to-surface multipurpose missile, capable of engaging armored targets up to 25 kilometers away without having to have a line of sight. If theHavoc were equipped with the S8000 "Banderol", the cover element would be additionally ensured, as well as increasing the offensive potential of the helicopter.
Before the development of modern surface-to-air missile systems, the Soviets believed that helicopters should precede their tank or troop carrier formations and clear the way for them by neutralizing the adversary. A prime example of this was the doctrinal concept behind the old Mil Mi-24, later used in Afghanistan as a helicopter "with airplane functions".
Today, the Russians - who are heirs to the Soviet offensive tradition - have deemed it appropriate to make helicopters platforms for managing the air-ground "system of systems", both for the control of kamikaze drones and for the identification of targets, as well as for the traditional fire support - at a distance, no longer close by - for ground troops.
Images: Telegram / MoD Russian Fed.
