Footage has emerged for the first time showing a Russian Mi-28NM attack helicopter launching a Dan-T loitering munition, a weapon also classified as a small cruise missile.

The video captures the helicopter’s final pre-flight preparations, takeoff with weapons mounted on its external pylons, release of the missile from the left pylon and subsequent return to its home airfield. The missile’s engine ignition was not recorded, as the onboard cameras only captured the moment the weapon was released.

The Dan-T is a variant of the S8000 Banderol cruise missile. In July, footage showed a Banderol missile being launched from a Russian Inokhodets drone. A similar weapon was displayed under the Dan-T designation at a defense exhibition in Egypt in September. Around the same time, the first photograph of a Mi-28NM carrying the missile was published.

According to publicly available specifications, the Banderol is approximately five meters long and has a deployable wingspan of 2.2 meters. Its turbojet engine enables speeds of up to 650 km/h, while its estimated operational range is 500 kilometers. The missile carries a high-explosive fragmentation warhead weighing up to 150 kilograms and uses a combined inertial and satellite navigation system for guidance.

Equipping Mi-28NM helicopters and drones with cruise missiles expands their combat capabilities while making launches more difficult for enemy forces to detect. Unlike large strategic bombers, these smaller aircraft are less visible to long-range surveillance systems.