For The First Time In History, A Ukrainian Mirage Shot Down A "Banderole" Missile With Its Onboard Cannon

• 3.10.2026, 8:26

The pilot was supposed to perform a unique maneuver.

A French Mirage 2000-5F fighter jet serving with the Ukrainian Air Force destroyed a Russian S8000 “Banderole” cruise missile with fire from its aircraft cannon for the first time in history.

This was reported by Militarnyi and the French project French Aid to Europe.

The first such incident was reported by the French project French Aid to Europe, which tracks French military aid. The exact time and location of the incident, as well as the pilot’s name, have not been disclosed.

To hit a missile with a cannon, the pilot had to get very close to it. Air-to-air missiles are launched from a great distance, whereas cannon fire requires closing in on a moving target traveling at over 500 km/h and hitting it at close range.

Aviation cannon rounds are significantly cheaper than “air-to-air” missiles, which Ukraine lacks. It was precisely these missiles that Ukraine’s Minister of Defense Yevhen Khmara recently cited as a key need when addressing EU partners. Every target shot down by an aircraft cannon helps conserve the country’s scarce missile stockpile.

France transferred these fighter jets to Ukraine in 2025 from the reserves of its air and space forces. The aircraft is equipped with two 30-mm DEFA 554 cannons, each with 125 rounds. The rate of fire is 1,800 rounds per minute.

Russia began deploying the “Banderole” in 2024 and subsequently began using these missiles more frequently, particularly during massive attacks. The primary platform for the missile is the “Orion” attack drone, and it is also being adapted for Mi-28N helicopters. The Main Intelligence Directorate (GRU) identified more than 20 foreign components in the “Banderole,” including ten American microchips.