Russia deploys new jet-powered drone for attacks against Ukraine

Defense Express reported the information.

For several weeks, Russian forces have been using a new drone called Banderol for attacks on the Odesa region, communications and electronic warfare specialist Serhiy "Flash" Beskrestnov wrote on his social media.

So far, it is known that the Banderol UAV has a jet engine and can reach speeds of approximately 400-500 km/h. The expert emphasizes that other tactical or technical specifications, such as range and payload, remain unknown.

"The information about this UAV has been circulating for a while, but now we are seeing the first consistent cases of its use. Whether this drone will pose the same threat as the well-known guided aerial bombs is unclear," notes Beskrestnov.

Russian jet-powered drone, illustrative photo: Defense Express

Information about the Russian Banderol UAV can only be found in a brief note on the War and Sanctions portal, which mentions that its production involves JSC Kronstadt and JSC KT-Unmanned Systems. However, there are no references to the Banderol UAV on the official websites of these companies, where only Orion and Sirius are listed among unmanned systems.

On February 19, JSC Kronstadt reported a "successful test flight of a new unmanned aerial vehicle," stating that the flight task was completed and the system was ready for further testing. However, the specific drone remains unidentified.

“In this context, it is worth noting that Russia uses a variety of strike drones with different technical specifications for attacks on Ukraine, including drones that lack a warhead and serve as 'decoys' for air defense systems,” Defense Express concluded.