Russia has reportedly developed a mobile, ground-based launcher for its S8000 Banderol drone-cruise missile. Photos of the launcher on display, with what appears to be the Banderol missile on its rail, have been circulating on various Russian military channels this week, some of which bear the watermarks from Russian state media RIA Novosti.JOIN US ON TELEGRAMFollow our coverage of the war on the @Kyivpost_official. Ukrainian defense outlet Militarnyi speculated that the launcher could theoretically be installed on “pickup-type [vehicles]” due to its small size, while also casting doubt on its range since launching via catapults would inevitably reduce it compared with gliding from mid-air when launched by an aerial platform. At present, the Banderol is known to be launched by Russia’s Orion drone or the Mi-28 attack helicopter. The Ukrainian Air Force reported in mid-July that Russia began using more Banderols – alongside jet-powered drones – during air raids against Ukraine after the missile was initially publicized in 2025. Banderol – AliExpress jet engine, Japanese battery The S8000 Banderol missile was previously reported for its reliance on foreign parts. The War & Sanctions database maintained by Ukraine’s Military Intelligence (HUR) shows that it uses the Swiwin SW800Pro jet engine from China – a jet engine available for purchase online, including on Chinese e-commerce platform AliExpress, for approximately $16,000. It also uses a battery pack made by Japanese firm Murata, while the only Russian component identified was the Kometa-M8 controlled reception pattern (CRP) antenna made by a Russian firm called VNIIR-Progress.