Dan-T

Overview

The Dan-T (Дань-Т) is a jet-powered Russian strike drone shown publicly for the first time at the El Alamein International Airshow in Egypt on 8–10 September 2026. Rosoboronexport, Russia’s arms-export agency, displayed it, and Rostec described it as an air-launched loitering munition proven by “hundreds of successful launches against enemy targets”. No figures have been published to support that claim. Who designed it is still unclear. Kyiv Post, citing ISW, names Rostec as the maker. Janes found it externally almost identical to Kronstadt’s S8000 Banderol and assessed it as likely an export version of that missile.

Design

According to Rosoboronexport’s show data, reported by Janes, the Dan-T has a maximum take-off weight of 268 kg, a maximum warhead of 130 kg, a top speed of 500 km/h and a range of 450 km. Other reports give 135 kg and 500 km. Rostec says it is intended for aircraft and helicopters, “including foreign ones”. Russian coverage lists Yak-130, MiG-29, Mi-28N and Mi-8 carriers, but Defence Security Asia cautions that none of these integrations should be assumed without evidence.

The name points to a second possible ancestor, the Dan-M, a reusable jet target drone from the 1990s built to simulate a Tomahawk for air-defence training. Kyiv Post reports that Rostec converted stocks of Dan-M targets into strike drones by fitting warheads. The Dan-M, however, weighs a reported 350–395 kg, well above the Dan-T’s published weight. Pro-Kremlin channels reject the conversion story outright. Russian Engineer calls the Dan-T a new factory design, more advanced than Banderol, and adds that the two are different missiles despite looking alike. The question remains open.

Electronics and guidance

Rosoboronexport lists GNSS/INS guidance, meaning satellite navigation backed by an inertial unit, and describes the weapon as fire-and-forget. No optical seeker is visible on the display airframe, which suggests it is meant for fixed, pre-surveyed targets. The engine model has not been published. If the Dan-T is a Banderol derivative, its electronics would likely resemble the Banderol’s hobby turbojet and imported parts, but no teardown of a Dan-T has been made public.

Warheads

The only published figure is a maximum warhead of 130 kg (135 kg in some reports). Its type has not been disclosed.

Variants

No variants have been announced. Russian reports of ground launchers and possible ship launch remain unconfirmed.

Combat use

On 13 September 2026 a Russian strike chronicle listed the Dan-T by name among weapons used against Odesa. According to Kyiv Post, Ukraine began distinguishing Dan-Ts from Banderols in its reporting the same day. A plan for a mass strike on Ukraine’s energy system, reported in early October 2026, included the Dan-T alongside Iskander, Zircon, Kh-101 and Geran. Production figures are speculative: a Russian report cited about 10,000 units in 2027, and Ukrainian sources about 14,000. ISW judged that production had not yet reached scale.

Countering it

No public reporting yet describes Dan-T interceptions as distinct from Banderol ones. The two share a speed class, which puts them beyond the cheap interceptor drones Ukraine uses against Shaheds. They have to be engaged with surface-to-air missiles, MANPADS or fighters, as Ukraine has done with the Banderol.