Beskrestnov explains the threat of helicopter-launched Banderol missiles
Flash commented on a Russian video, saying an airborne carrier allows launch locations to change. The option was described as a future development back in May 2025.
On November 6, 2026, radio technology specialist Serhii Beskrestnov, known as Flash, posted a Russian video on his Telegram channel that he described as showing Banderol missiles being launched from a helicopter. He sees the main feature of this method as the ability to carry missiles closer to Ukraine’s borders and vary launch locations.
“This type of launch is one of the advantages some budget missiles have over jet-powered Shaheds,” Beskrestnov wrote. This is his assessment of the weapon’s capabilities, not a report of a specific strike. His post does not identify where or when the footage was recorded, the targets or the results of the launches.
Helicopter launches had been discussed long before this video appeared. On May 12, 2025, BBC News Ukrainian, citing Ukrainian intelligence, reported that the Orion drone carried Banderol missiles and that launches from Mi-28N helicopters were planned for the future. Beskrestnov’s latest post concerns what is now described as a launch demonstration, but does not by itself establish how widely this method is being used.
The Ukrainian Defence Intelligence agency’s official War & Sanctions portal identifies the weapon as the S8000 Banderol cruise missile. Its component list includes a Chinese-made Swiwin SW800Pro-A95 turbojet engine, a Japanese Murata battery and a South Korean Dynamixel (Robotis) servo. The engine entry was published on May 12, 2025.
The BBC report published that day cited Ukrainian intelligence figures of a range of up to 500 kilometres and a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing 114.3 kilograms. These are previously published specifications, not measurements of the missile in the November video. The word “budget” in Beskrestnov’s comment does not mean limited destructive power.
For civilian protection, the carrier’s mobility is the key issue: if the capability Beskrestnov describes is used, the threat is not tied to one permanent launch site.
Primary sources
Documents and statements this story is based on.
