Russia has a dangerous new cruise missile and it's filled with foreign parts

Meet the S8000 Banderol

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

On May 12th, the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence published a report revealing the technical details of a new Russian cruise missile. The S8000 Banderol, as the cruise missile has come to be known, is reportedly littered with foreign parts. 

Powered by foreign parts

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

According to Ukrainian intelligence, several key foreign-made parts were integrated into the S8000 Banderol, including a commercial turbo-jet engine sourced from China and a telemetry module used for inertial navigation sourced from Australia. 

Photo Credit: Facebook @DefenceIntelligenceofUkraine

Six foreign countries

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

The report revealed that thousands of foreign components have been integrated into the design of the S8000 with parts sourced from at least six foreign nations, which included the United States, Japan, China, South Korea, Switzerland, and Australia.

Major components

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

"Over 20 key components of the S8000 missile and around 30 companies involved in its production or supply chain have been identified,” the Ukrainian intelligence report noted. 

Photo Credit: Facebook @DefenceIntelligenceofUkraine

Commercially available parts

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

United24 noted that many of the components identified in the S8000 are commercially available, which makes it difficult to fully restrict Russia’s access to these critical parts despite the current sanctions that have been levied against Russia.  

Instruments of violence

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

“Thousands of electronic components, originally intended to improve lives and fuel development, are perversely repurposed by aggressors into instruments of violence,” explained the Ukrainian Main Directorate of Intelligence in its report. 

Photo Credit: Facebook @DefenceIntelligenceofUkraine

Reliant on foreign parts

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

“These weapons rely heavily on foreign-made components. Disrupting this supply chain is critical to impede their ability to fight, occupy, and kill,” the report added. It also noted how manufacturers could prevent their parts from being used in Russian weapons.  

Developed by Kronstadt

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

Little is known about the S8000 beyond what was announced by Ukrainian intelligence. However, we do know that the cruise missile was developed by Kronstadt—a Russian company that produced Russia's Orion drone—and it was made to be fired from a drone. 

Photo Credit: Wiki Commons By Nickel Nitride, Own work, CC0

Photos of the missile in flight

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

The War Zone reported that at least one photo circulating online reportedly showed an S8000 under a Kronstadt Orion drone during testing. However, that information has not been officially confirmed, though it is possible based on the image. 

Photo Credit: X @krakek1

Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

Meet the S8000 Banderol, Powered by foreign parts, Six foreign countries, Major components, Commercially available parts, Instruments of violence, Reliant on foreign parts, Developed by Kronstadt, Photos of the missile in flight, Similar to the American MQ-1 Predator

According to The War Zone, the Orion uncrewed aerial vehicle (UAV) is comparable to the US MQ-1 Predator, though it may not be the only weapon that will carry the S8000 Banderol. The missile is reportedly being tested for use with the Mi-28N helicopter.

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