A Ukrainian Mirage 2000-5F has destroyed a Russian S8000 “Banderol” small cruise missile for the first time, using its onboard aircraft cannon. The first known instance of such an interception was reported by the French Aid to Europe project, UNN writes.
Details
To destroy the target, the fighter used not an air-to-air missile, but one of its 30 mm DEFA 554 automatic cannons. The circumstances of the interception, its location, and the name of the Ukrainian pilot have not been disclosed.
The distinctive feature of such an interception is the need to approach the target at close range. The “Banderol” is a jet-powered cruise missile with a maximum speed of 620–650 km/h.
The Mirage saved a scarce missile
The Mirage 2000-5F is equipped with 2 built-in 30 mm DEFA 554 cannons. Each has an ammunition capacity of 125 rounds, and its rate of fire can reach 1,800 rounds per minute.
Using the cannon also makes it possible to preserve the significantly more expensive and scarce air-to-air missiles that Ukrainian aviation uses to intercept airborne targets.
France transferred Mirage 2000-5F fighter jets to Ukraine in 2025 from its own Air and Space Force. The Russian S8000 “Banderol” can travel up to 500 km and carries a warhead weighing more than 100 kg.
MiG-29 pilot Marat Mambetov from the "Ghost of Kyiv" brigade was killed in combat01.10.26, 17:32