“Banderol” Unmasked: Russia’s New Secret Weapon—Cruise Missile or Kamikaze Drone?

(DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA) – In a rare public glimpse into Russia’s ongoing long-range strike capability developments, Deputy Chairman of the Russian Security Council Dmitry Medvedev was recently shown a previously unknown missile during a visit to the Kapustin Yar missile test range in the Astrakhan region.

The weapon, now circulating across defence media, has been informally dubbed “Banderol” — the Russian word for “parcel” — and appears to represent a new chapter in Moscow’s evolving stand-off munitions strategy.

Based on available imagery and preliminary assessments, the Banderol’s external configuration bears a striking resemblance to the U.S.-made AGM-158 Joint Air-to-Surface Standoff Missile (JASSM), a highly survivable, precision-guided weapon known for its low-observable features and extended-range lethality.

In contrast to traditional cruise missiles, some reports suggest that the Banderol may in fact be a large-scale loitering munition or “suicide drone,” reportedly capable of carrying a warhead weighing more than 100 kilograms — a configuration that would expand Russia’s capacity to strike hardened or time-sensitive targets from a safe distance.

Images released by the Telegram-based military analysis channel Military Informat show a sizable missile, but analysts have noted that a comprehensive technical assessment remains elusive due to limited data and state-imposed information control.

Nonetheless, defence observers have categorised the Banderol as a low-observable munition, potentially equipped with radar-evading airframe features similar to those seen in Russia’s Kh-101 air-launched cruise missile and the American AGM-158 JASSM.

The missile’s pencil-like nose cone, an aerodynamic design favoured in stealth cruise missiles, has further fuelled speculation that Russia is mimicking or reverse-engineering Western precision strike architecture to accelerate indigenous capability development.

The AGM-158 JASSM, developed by Lockheed Martin, is a cornerstone of U.S. and NATO long-range strike doctrine, providing precision engagement against heavily defended targets without requiring the launching aircraft to penetrate hostile airspace.

Equipped with a 450-kilogram WDU-42/B penetrator warhead, the JASSM is designed to defeat hardened bunkers, C2 facilities, and anti-access/area-denial (A2/AD) infrastructure.

Its targeting system integrates inertial navigation (INS), GPS, and terminal infrared seekers supported by Autonomous Target Recognition (ATR) algorithms, enabling high-precision strikes even in GPS-contested environments.

Powered by a Williams F107-WR-105 turbofan engine, the missile cruises at subsonic speed near Mach 0.8 and delivers standoff range capabilities up to 370 kilometers in its baseline version.

Its longer-range variants — the JASSM-ER and upcoming JASSM-XR — can strike targets at distances up to 1,000 km and an anticipated 1,800 km respectively, dramatically expanding operational reach for U.S. and allied strike aircraft.

JASSM is integrated across a wide spectrum of platforms, including the F-15E, F-16, F/A-18, B-1B, B-2, B-52, and is currently undergoing integration into the fifth-generation F-35 Lightning II fleet, reinforcing its role in joint-force networked warfare.

In parallel, Russian media have disseminated additional images of what appears to be the same missile — or a UAV variant — now consistently referred to in open sources as the Banderol.

Ukrainian defence channels allege that this munition has already been operationalised, citing multiple strikes in Odesa and Mykolaiv since February 2025 that bear the hallmarks of a high-speed, precision-guided loitering weapon.

These reports suggest that the Banderol is launched from large unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), such as the Russian-made Orion, and is capable of speeds ranging from 450 to 500 kilometers per hour, carrying a warhead estimated between 120 and 140 kilograms.

However, no verifiable evidence has been presented to conclusively link the weapon observed at Kapustin Yar to those reportedly used in combat over southern Ukraine, leaving analysts to navigate a fog of disinformation and strategic ambiguity.

The Kremlin has thus far remained silent on the issue, offering no confirmation or denial, a familiar tactic aimed at strategic misdirection and information warfare.

What is known is that in February 2025, Russian media reported a “successful test flight of a new unmanned aerial vehicle,” but offered no further technical details or public confirmation of its capabilities or designation.

Ukrainian defence sources believe the test in question may have involved the Banderol, though the secrecy surrounding the program has made verification nearly impossible.

No photographs or formal schematics were released alongside the test announcement, reinforcing speculation that the weapon remains under tight classification, potentially due to its strategic role or foreign technology dependencies.

Military analysts have long noted that Russia is expanding its family of unmanned aerial systems — not just for reconnaissance and ISR (Intelligence, Surveillance, Reconnaissance) roles, but increasingly for offensive, autonomous, and decoy missions.

Communications and electronic warfare specialist Serhiy “Flash” Beskrestnov has publicly claimed on his social media platforms that Russia has already begun deploying Banderol munitions over Odesa.

“The information about this drone has been circulating for a while, but now we are seeing the first consistent cases of its use,” said Beskrestnov.

“Whether this drone will pose the same threat as the well-known guided aerial bombs is unclear.”

As of now, the only known open-source reference to the Banderol appears in a brief listing on the War and Sanctions portal, which attributes its development to JSC Kronstadt and JSC KT-Unmanned Systems — two firms closely linked to the Kremlin’s UAV industrial ecosystem.

However, neither company has mentioned Banderol on their official websites, which only feature UAVs such as the Orion and Sirius, suggesting the program remains either in prototype phase or deliberately concealed from public defence catalogues.

On February 19, JSC Kronstadt released a vague statement announcing the successful completion of a test flight involving a “new unmanned aerial vehicle,” noting that the system was ready for further testing, though no platform name was disclosed.

Defence sources have interpreted this to mean that the Banderol has reached a significant milestone in development, even if its existence remains unacknowledged in official Russian publications.

“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.”

As Russia continues to probe for weaknesses in NATO-backed air defence shields, the Banderol — if confirmed — could mark the arrival of a new generation of precision, long-range, low-cost munitions designed to saturate, confuse, or collapse layered air defence networks in future high-intensity conflict zones.

— DEFENCE SECURITY ASIA