Geran-5
Fast, high-flying attack drone on the line between drone and cruise missile
The fastest and highest-flying Geran variant. According to Polish analysis (Defence24) it is not a Shahed derivative but based on Iran's Karrar jet drone, with a Chinese turbojet. Its speed and altitude put it out of MANPADS reach and make it hard for cheap interceptor drones, while it is far more expensive than the propeller Geran. All figures rest on Ukrainian and Polish analyses of wreckage and footage — not independently verified.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Drone (L × span)
- 6.0 × 3.2 m
- Max. take-off weight
- 850 kg
- Dimension source
- US Army TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)
Key data
- Altitude
- up to ~6 km (~19,700 ft)
- Speed
- cruise 450–600 km/h · top up to ~650 km/h (Defence24)
- Range
- ~950–1,000 km
- Warhead
- ~90 kg (total mass ~850 kg)
Relevance
- Engine
- Chinese Telefly TF-TJ2000A turbojet (~200 kgf), per Militarnyi moved from an external nacelle into the fuselage
- Electronics
- 12-channel Kometa-M12 satellite navigation, US-made Tracker V3 telemetry, Chinese Xingkai Tech XK-F358 mesh modem; control (partly) via Russian MESH radio networks. According to an investigation by The Insider (Oct 2026), the same maker, Shenzhen Xingkai Technology, also supplies the successor model XK F-359 (line-of-sight links of 100–300 km, AMD FPGAs) for Geran and Gerbera drones, holding an estimated ~50% of the market for these mesh modems; imported via intermediaries declared as 'antennas' — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20261016-05 (Militarnyi/The Insider), not independently confirmed
- Launch infrastructure (Oct 2026)
- Satellite imagery shows a new Geran-5 launch site near Millerovo (Rostov Oblast), built in ~6 weeks: at least 8 launcher positions and 32 drone-preparation areas, laid out like the Tsymbulova site in Oryol Oblast (storage, preparation, launch) — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20261016-04 (Militarnyi, OSINT satellite analysis), not independently confirmed
- Navigation — 'K5' variant (claim, Sep 2026)
- According to the Telegram channel Colonel GSh and Russian media (Rossiyskaya Gazeta), a new variant with a modified fuselage uses optical terrain-image navigation ('Susanin', DSMAC principle): the drone matches the terrain against a map loaded before flight and so depends less on GNSS, which blunts jamming and spoofing. On 5 Oct 2026 Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) confirmed that the Susanin system is fitted to the Geran-5 K5 (identical to the one in the upgraded Geran-4) — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260928-01 (Militarnyi) and e-20261001-02 (Ukrainska Pravda). Limitation according to Defense Express: accuracy depends on lighting, season and time of day (shadow patterns); at night the system performs considerably worse, while Russia often flies such strikes at night — the Ukrainian outlet's assessment, not an observed result (RU Mil Tracker e-20261001-s03)
- Cost
- Per Defence24 well above $100,000 each — the low-cost advantage of the propeller Geran disappears
- Effect
- Out of MANPADS reach (ceiling ~3,500–4,000 m); requires SAMs, fighters or fast interceptor drones. Reported kills: according to Zelensky an SBU interceptor drone (Sep 2026, RU Mil Tracker e-20260920-02) a 114th Brigade pilot with an air-to-air missile (24 Sep 2026, ArmyInform, e-20260928-s05) and SkyFall's P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor drone, flown remotely by the National Guard's Lasar's Group (Sep 2026, Militarnyi, e-20261001-03) and, according to Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat, robotic turrets with machine vision and AI fire control, armed with machine guns (Oct 2026; more than twelve in Kyiv, now also going onto bridges; Ukrainska Pravda, e-20261006-02) — none independently confirmed
- Militarnyi data point (19–20 Sep. 2026)
- Cruise speed 450–600 km/h, range ~1,000 km, max. altitude ~6 km, 90 kg warhead, TF-TJ2000A turbojet — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260921-01; Ukrainian claims based on own footage
- Defence24 data point (via topwar, 26 Sep. 2026)
- Karrar basis instead of Shahed-238, top speed up to ~650 km/h, ~850 kg, >$100k, Kometa-M12 — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260927-s02; single source (Russian outlet relaying Polish analysis)
- Coordinated use (claim, Sep 2026)
- On 25 Sep 2026 a jet-powered Shahed-type drone reportedly relayed imagery and targeting data to a Geran-5, which then hit the Inkom business centre in Kyiv (4 killed). Presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov called it a complex operation requiring precise coordination — source: Euromaidan Press (28 Sep 2026), RU Mil Tracker e-20260928-01; not independently confirmed
- Intercept at 425 km/h (Sep 2026)
- A crew from the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile and Artillery Regiment (callsign Yastrub) downed a Geran-5 over Chernihiv Oblast flying at ~425 km/h and above 3 km, using a newly delivered interceptor drone. This rests on footage published by the Serhiy Prytula Foundation; TWZ credits a Geran-5 kill by this regiment to Wild Hornets' STING S. Not independently confirmed — source: Euromaidan Press / TWZ, RU Mil Tracker e-20260930-03
- Production (claim, Sep 2026)
- Ukrainian military intelligence estimates Russian output at ~3,000 Geran-4/-5 a month (combined) — source: TWZ, RU Mil Tracker e-20260930-03; not independently confirmed
- Production (HUR, Oct 2026)
- Russia builds ≈ 10,000 drones a month, mainly at Alabuga: ≈ 4,000 jet drones (mostly Geran-4 and Geran-5, 400–500 km/h) plus ≈ 2,000 cheaper Geran-2s used to wear down and locate air defences. The 2026 state order for Geran drones and decoys such as the Gerbera exceeds 100,000; ≈ 6,200 Gerans held in reserve. Production has shifted to jet drones since the summer, which HUR attributes to mobile fire groups downing slow targets en masse — source: Euromaidan Press / NV, RU Mil Tracker e-20261023-02; Ukrainian estimate, cannot be independently verified
- Power-line variant (claim, Sep–Oct 2026)
- On 30 Sep 2026, according to Serhii Beskrestnov, Russia first used a jet drone with a KRSN cutting charge (40 kg main charge + four extra modules) against high-voltage pylons and steel bridges. According to Militarnyi (2 Oct 2026) it is a Geran-4 with linear shaped charges in a revolver-cylinder layout. Per Beskrestnov, the 'whiskers' on the nose are a mechanical contact fuze with no electronics: on impact a rod touches the surrounding tube, closes the circuit and fires the warhead — source: Ukrainska Pravda / Defence Blog / Militarnyi / Defense Express, RU Mil Tracker e-20261001-02 and e-20261004-s03; not independently confirmed
- First jet drone over Lviv (claim, 10 Oct 2026)
- According to monitoring channels, a jet-powered Geran reached Lviv for the first time on 10 Oct 2026; air defence brought it down near the city. Ukrainian officials only speak of 'a drone'; the type comes from the channels and Topwar. Topwar gives a flight altitude of ~9 km — higher than the ~6 km in Ukrainian and Polish analyses and unconfirmed — source: Topwar, RU Mil Tracker e-20261010-s08; single source
- Share of salvos (Oct 2026)
- On the night of 9 Oct 2026, according to the Ukrainian Air Force, 93 of the 136 drones launched (Shahed-type, Gerbera and Parodiya combined) were jet-powered Shaheds; 77 of them were shot down or suppressed. The Air Force does not distinguish between jet variants — source: ArmyInform, RU Mil Tracker e-20261010-s04; not independently confirmed
- New 'K5-K' derivatives (claim, Oct 2026)
- According to Militarnyi (23 Oct 2026, citing its own sources in the Ukrainian Defence Forces) and presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov, Russia is sporadically using two new jet-powered Geran-5 derivatives. Type 1 (Geran-5 K5-K): smaller swept wing, tail without the vertical wingtip surfaces, engine moved from the external dorsal nacelle into the fuselage, autonomous optical navigation without GNSS; according to Ukrainian officials the design goal is up to ~900 km/h (comparable to the Kh-101). Type 2 (also called K5-K by Beskrestnov, photo 22 Oct): boxy fuselage with flat sides, diamond-shaped wing, V-tail and a side-mounted air intake; per Militarnyi simpler to produce and possibly with a smaller radar cross-section, per Beskrestnov with greater range, speed and altitude. No measured speed or range, no data on warhead or launch method — source: Militarnyi, RU Mil Tracker e-20261025-03; not independently confirmed
News archive 51
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
-
«Снижение эффективности винтовых дронов ВСУ» (Topwar: 'The declining effectiveness of Ukraine's propeller drones')
In an opinion piece, Topwar columnist Yevgeny Fedorov argues that slow piston-engined long-range strike drones are losing effectiveness on both sides. He says Russia was first to notice the problem with its own Geran drones: they were slow enough for Ukraine to move air-defence teams onto their routes and shoot them down with cheap interceptor drones. Russi…
-
Helsing unveils AD-2 'Ambush' counter-UAS interceptor missile (engagement altitude above 9 km) as part of its Contra air-defence suite, aimed at Russia's fast jet-powered Geran drones
German defence company Helsing presented its Contra air-defence offering on 26 October 2026: two new interceptor missiles plus AI software that automatically calculates the order and distance of intercepts. According to Defense News, the company says Contra can down fast attack drones for under $100,000 per shot; it is still in testing, is expected to be ma…
-
«Литва поможет Украине сбивать российские реактивные «Герани-5»» (Topwar: 'Lithuania will help Ukraine shoot down Russian jet-powered Geran-5s')
Topwar reports, citing Ukrainian media and a developer press release, that Lithuanian developers have presented the X-12, a jet-powered interceptor drone with a turbojet engine intended to destroy high-speed aerial targets such as Russia's jet-powered Geran-5. The stated figures are a maximum speed of about 700 km/h, a cruise speed of about 350 km/h, a rang…
-
Lithuania unveils X-12 jet-powered interceptor drone aimed at Russia's Geran-5, reportedly combat-tested in Ukraine
Lithuania has presented the X-12, a turbojet-powered interceptor drone built to destroy fast aerial targets, according to Ukrainian outlet Militarnyi, which cites the Lithuanian news site Delfi. The primary target named is Russia's jet-powered Geran-5 attack drone. The project is linked to the Strategic Defense Alliance (SDA), an association of Ukrainian, L…
-
«Быстрый и дешёвый»: Украина разрабатывает перехватчик для российских «Гераней» (Topwar: '"Fast and cheap": Ukraine is developing an interceptor for Russian Gerans')
Topwar (Voennoye Obozreniye) reports that Ukraine is developing a relatively cheap interceptor drone to shoot down Russia's jet-powered Geran drones. Citing The New York Times, the article names the Ukrainian company F-Drones and its jet-powered F-Jet 80, designed to counter the Geran-4 and Geran-5. According to the company, the interceptor will get artific…
-
Russia fields two new Geran-5 derivatives with optical navigation, aiming for cruise-missile speeds
Russia has begun using two new jet-powered small cruise missiles that appear to be derivatives of the Geran-5, Militarnyi reported on 23 October, citing its own sources in the Ukrainian Defence Forces and a post by Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, adviser to the Ukrainian president on defence technology, who published a photo of the second type on 22 October. Th…
-
HUR: Russia keeps missile stocks steady at up to 700 ballistic and several thousand cruise missiles, produces 200+ missiles a month, and has ordered over 100,000 Geran-type drones and decoys for 2026
According to figures Ukraine's military intelligence (HUR) gave the Ukrainian outlet NV, published on 20 October 2026 and reported by Euromaidan Press, Russia holds up to 700 ballistic missiles and several thousand cruise missiles in reserve, roughly the same level HUR reported in July despite the autumn mass strikes. Russia can produce more than 200 missil…
-
Ukraine still lacks a scalable answer to jet-powered Gerans: Brave1 says seven fast interceptor types have scored kills and over 1,000 are on order, while frontline crews and Sternenko's foundation point to speed and cost gaps
Ukrainian units on the front line describe jet-powered Gerans as largely beyond the reach of their current interceptor drones. At the command post of the 'Posipaky' battalion of the 39th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment on the Zaporizhzhia front, commander 'Ramses' told Ukrainska Pravda that jet drones flying at around 500 km/h are simply left alone, because…
-
«Пуск із Су-27 — і «Герань-5» вибухає в небі: льотчик 39-ї бригади збив реактивний дрон» (ArmyInform: 'A launch from a Su-27, and the Geran-5 explodes in the sky: 39th Brigade pilot downs a jet drone')
Ukraine's 39th Tactical Aviation Brigade, named after Hero of Ukraine Oleksandr Dovhach, has released video of one of its Su-27 pilots shooting down a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered one-way attack drone with an air-to-air missile. According to ArmyInform, the Ukrainian Ministry of Defence's news agency, the footage shows the missile leaving the Su-27 and then…
-
Ukraine turns its jet-powered Bars strike drone into a Shahed hunter
Video shared by the Ukrainian military shows an interceptor version of Ukraine's jet-powered Bars drone, launched from a ground launcher, destroying a Russian Geran-5 — the first footage of the Ukrainian missile-drone being used against Russia's own jet-powered attack drones, Defence Blog reports. The interceptor is based on the Bars strike drone, a small t…
-
«Зенитная артиллерия возвращается: справятся ли пушки с реактивными беспилотниками?» (Topwar: 'Anti-aircraft artillery is back: can guns cope with jet-powered drones?')
In an analysis for Topwar (Voennoe Obozrenie), author Anatoly Blinov examines whether gun-based air defence can counter jet-powered one-way attack drones such as Russia's Geran-5. Citing Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR), he puts the Geran-5's cruise speed at 450–600 km/h (versus roughly 170–180 km/h for the piston-engined Geran-2), with a range of 950…
-
Russia's Gerbera-2 decoy drone now carries a 10-kg warhead plus an incendiary bag
Russia has begun fitting its Gerbera-2 strike and reconnaissance drones with a 10-kg high-explosive fragmentation-incendiary warhead plus an additional package of incendiary mixture, carried in a separate soft plastic tank behind the main warhead, Euromaidan Press reports citing Militarnyi (18 October). The set-up appears intended to start fires at the poin…
-
«Российские реактивные «Герани» начали летать ещё быстрее» (Topwar: 'Russian jet Gerans have started flying even faster')
The Russian military news portal Topwar (author Vladimir Lytkin) writes that, according to the monitoring resource AMK Mapping, Russian kamikaze drones reached speeds of about 800 km/h during strikes on western Ukraine. No specific strike date is given. The article names the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 and puts their speed at roughly 600 km/h. It adds t…
-
The Insider investigation: China's Shenzhen Xingkai Technology supplies mesh modems for Russian Geran and Gerbera drones
Militarnyi, citing an investigation by The Insider, reports that the Chinese firm Shenzhen Xingkai Technology supplies mesh modems used in Russian Geran and Gerbera long-range drones. According to the journalists, the equipment reached Russia via the companies Atlant-Engineering and LT Global Forwarding and was declared at customs as antennas and remote-con…
-
Russia follows its ballistic strike with a 580-drone wave heavy on jet-powered Gerans, hitting Kirovohrad Oblast hardest and severing a unique Dnipro power-line tower in Kyiv
From 18:00 on 14 October to 08:00 on 15 October, Russia launched two Kh-59 air-launched missiles (fired from over the Black Sea) and 580 drones of various types, including Shaheds and Gerbera decoys, according to Ukraine's Air Force. The drones were launched from Oryol, Millerovo, Shatalovo, Bryansk, Kursk and Primorsko-Akhtarsk in Russia and from occupied…
-
Satellite imagery shows Russia built a new Geran-5 jet-drone launch site near Millerovo in about six weeks
Militarnyi reports, based on satellite images published by the OSINT channel Absolutely Reliable Source, that Russia has built a new launch site for jet-powered Geran-5 drones near Millerovo in Rostov Oblast (coordinates 48.995968, 40.286255). The site has at least eight prepared launcher positions and 32 areas for preparing drones for launch; the imagery a…
-
Russia fires 39 ballistic-trajectory missiles and 128 drones, 77 of them jet-powered, at Ukraine overnight on 13-14 October: three killed in Kyiv, power cut in five districts
Russia carried out a massed combined strike on Ukraine between 18:00 on 13 October and the morning of 14 October, according to the Ukrainian Air Force. It says its radio-technical troops tracked 167 air-attack assets. These were 39 missiles flying ballistic trajectories, listed as Iskander-M, KN-23, S-400, Zircon and Oniks and launched from Kursk, Bryansk,…
-
Ukraine fields a new fast interceptor drone against Russia's jet-powered Geran-5, claiming two kills over Kyiv in its first week
Russia's jet-powered Geran-5 has become one of the hardest targets for Ukrainian air defence. According to the Kyiv Independent it flies considerably higher and faster than earlier Shahed/Geran types, with a maximum speed of about 600 km/h; Fabian Hoffmann of the Norwegian Institute for Defence Studies described it as more like a low-cost cruise missile tha…
-
«Во Львове: Реактивный дрон впервые долетел до нашего города» (Topwar: In Lviv: 'A jet drone reached our city for the first time')
Topwar (Voennoe Obozrenie) reports that, according to monitoring channels, a jet-powered Geran drone reached Lviv for the first time on the morning of 10 October 2026. The channels describe this as a significant increase in the threat to western Ukraine. Topwar cites the Lviv regional military administration as saying air defence 'destroyed near Lviv a dron…
-
Downed Geran-4 drones carry a 32-element, likely Alabuga-made anti-jam GNSS antenna, while Geran-4 and Geran-5 also get camera-based terrain navigation
A 32-element CRPA (Controlled Radiation Pattern Antenna) has been found in a Geran-4 strike drone shot down over Ukraine, Militarnyi reports, citing an analysis by The Insider of photos and videos of wreckage; the photos, taken in September 2026, are credited to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov. The unit is effectively two 16-element antennas in one housing: 16 e…
-
russia Delivers Su-35s to Algeria Aboard An-124s, But What Explains Algerian Il-76, C-130 Flights Over Poland? (Defense Express)
Defense Express recalls an April 2025 report claiming that satellite imagery showed at least one Su-35 fighter being flown from Russia to Algeria inside an An-124 Ruslan transport aircraft. According to the outlet, Algeria now has at least five Su-35s. It links this to a story running since early October 2026: Algerian Il-76 and C-130 transport aircraft hav…
-
Сбитая над Киевом реактивная «Герань-5» упала на академию СБУ (Topwar: Jet-powered Geran-5 shot down over Kyiv fell on SBU academy)
Topwar, a Russian military news site, writes on the basis of eyewitness video circulating online that a jet-powered Geran-5 was shot down during a drone attack on Kyiv. According to the article, the drone was hit in the rear by an anti-aircraft munition that damaged the engine; it did not explode in the air but flew on uncontrolled and crashed on the ground…
-
Ukrainian deputy air defense commander says Russia appears to use AI to plan wave attacks on Odesa and for target recognition in Geran-4 drones
Colonel Yurii Cherevashenko, Deputy Air Force Commander for Air Defense, told Ukrinform (as relayed by Euromaidan Press and Interfax-Ukraine) that Russian forces appear to use artificial intelligence to plan air attacks and to recognize targets. He linked this to recent air raids on Odesa that came in waves with very short gaps between them. According to hi…
-
Russian jet drones near 600 km/h; Ukraine orders simulators for 800–900 km/h successors
Colonel Yurii Cherevashenko, deputy commander of Ukraine's Air Force, told a parliamentary commission on 6 October that Russia's jet-powered attack drones now fly at around 600 km/h. He said they could eventually reach 800–900 km/h, speeds not yet seen in combat. The article names the jet-powered Shahed/Geran family, including the Geran-5.
-
Ukraine's Stavka sets new electronic warfare tasks as jet-powered Shaheds evade nearly half of air defences
After a meeting of the Supreme Commander-in-Chief's Staff (Stavka) on electronic warfare (EW) and infrastructure protection, President Zelenskyy said Kyiv had given the military and manufacturers additional tasks to scale up the most effective EW methods, Euromaidan Press reports. Because Russia keeps modifying its jet-powered Shahed/Geran drones, Ukrainian…
-
Ukrainian Air Force: AI-guided robotic turrets have already shot down jet-powered drones, including Geran-5s, and are now being installed on bridges
Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat said on the national joint 24/7 newscast that air defence units have shot down jet-powered drones, including Russia's Geran-5, with robotic turrets (reported by Ukrainska Pravda on 5 October). According to Ihnat, such turrets are now also being installed on bridges. He admitted he had been sceptical himself about ho…
-
Ukraine scales up counter-measures against jet-powered Shaheds: small air defence missiles due in October, a new Nika missile heading into testing, Spys interceptor test and German funding for tens of thousands of interceptor drones
During German Chancellor Friedrich Merz's visit to Kyiv on 4 October, President Zelensky said Ukraine will start using small air defence missiles against Russian jet-powered drones in the second half of October. According to Militarnyi, he said there are several types, that they are not yet in use, and that production could be scaled up quickly if the inter…
-
Ukrainian strikes hit Russia's Tsymbulova drone launch base in Oryol Oblast as Russia keeps expanding it
Ukrainian drones struck the Tsymbulova drone base near Bolkhov in Russia's Oryol Oblast on the night of 30 September to 1 October. Satellite imagery published by the Ukrainian OSINT channel Absolutely Reliable Source shows six impact sites; according to the channel, two ground storage facilities, the zones used to prepare and equip UAVs and the launch site…
-
Russian drones strike Kyiv's Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge three times in one day, the first attack on a Kyiv bridge since 2022, and hit the Institute for Nuclear Research and a school with sheltering children; 107 drones launched nationwide, 63 jet-powered
Russia struck a bridge in Kyiv for the first time since the full-scale invasion, Meduza reports, as part of a run of drone attacks on the capital between the evening of 30 September and 1 October 2026. According to the Kyiv City State Administration, two drones hit near a support of the Pivdennyi (Southern) Bridge, which carries road traffic and the green m…
-
P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor drone destroys a second Geran-5 jet-powered drone, this time in a head-on attack
According to Militarnyi, the Ukrainian P1-SUN JetKiller interceptor drone, made by SkyFall, destroyed a Russian Geran-5 jet-powered strike drone in September 2026. The interception was carried out by operators of Lasar's Group, an unmanned-systems unit of Ukraine's National Guard, using SkyFall's remote-control system, which lets operators fly the intercept…
-
Russia upgrades the Geran-4 jet drone with a shaped-charge cutting warhead and 'whisker' contact fuze against power lines and bridges; HUR details a US-made magnetometer, 'Susanin' optical navigation and an Alabuga-built engine
According to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, adviser to the Ukrainian President on defence technology, Russia on 30 September used for the first time a special shaped-charge cutting payload (KRSN) on a jet-powered strike drone, designed to destroy high-voltage transmission towers and steel bridge structures. Militarnyi, citing photos published by Defense Expres…
-
Охота на подвижной состав: очередной локомотив сгорел от удара БПЛА «Герань»
Topwar reports that during massed attacks the Russian army is continuing the 'systematic destruction' of Ukraine's railway logistics, which, it says, has become the main route for military cargo from Europe and for moving supplies from the rear to the front since the blockade of sea ports. According to the article, Ukrainian Railways (Ukrzaliznytsia) has al…
-
Putin says Ukraine has 'no antidote' to jet-powered Gerans as Russia fields Geran-3/4/5; 1020th AA Regiment downs a Geran-5 at 425 km/h
Speaking at the Cultural Forum, Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine was seeking an 'air ceasefire' because it cannot cope with Russia's new jet-powered Geran drones: 'At least for now, they have no way to counter them — no antidote.' Meduza sets out the family behind the claim. The Geran-3 (first jet variant; Meduza dates it to early 2025, TWZ to early 2024) rou…
-
russia Equips New Geran-5 Drones With Kh-101-Style Navigation: Why Darkness Could Be Problem
According to Defense Express, Russia has upgraded its Geran-5 jet-powered drones with a new guidance module called Susanin, a Digital Scene Matching Area Correlation (DSMAC) system that navigates by comparing preloaded reference satellite imagery with images from an onboard camera. This lets the drone keep navigating where satellite navigation (GNSS) is jam…
-
Russian jet-powered drone strike damages Yahodyn checkpoint building near Poland's Dorohusk crossing; Warsaw to let pilots and commanders fire on radar data alone
A Russian jet-powered strike drone hit Ukrainian territory near the Yahodyn border crossing in Volyn Oblast on 28 September 2026, close to the Polish border (Polish side: Dorohusk). Polish Defence Minister Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz said on X that it struck on the Ukrainian side about 2 km from the Dorohusk crossing, that Polish airspace had not been violate…
-
Советник Зеленского рассказал, как ВС РФ удаётся снимать попадания беспилотников
Topwar reports on an explanation by Zelensky adviser Sergey "Flash" Beskrestov of how Russian forces filmed a drone strike on the Inkom business centre in Kyiv. He rejected speculation that satellites or reconnaissance FPV drones were used.
-
Russia reportedly fields Geran-5 'K5' variant with autonomous optical (scene-matching) navigation and redesigned fuselage
Russian forces have reportedly begun using a new modification of the jet-powered Geran-5 strike UAV with an autonomous optical navigation system and a modified fuselage. The report comes from the monitoring Telegram channel Colonel GSh ("Polkovnik GSh"), which calls the variant the Geran-5 K5 and published a photo comparing the old and new airframes. Accord…
-
Ukraine Intercepts 55% of russia's Jet-Powered Shahed Drones as New Countermeasures Enter Combat
According to Defense Express, Russia launched more than 2,730 jet-powered Shahed-type drones against Ukraine in September alone. Ukrainian forces destroyed or suppressed more than 1,500 of them, an effectiveness of roughly 55%; that figure counts both drones that were physically shot down and those whose attacks were disrupted in other ways, which includes…
-
«SMITH» сів на хвіст «Герані-5»: кадри нічного перехоплення реактивного дрона
A pilot of Ukraine's 114th Tactical Aviation Brigade, callsign "SMITH", shot down a Russian jet-powered Geran-5 strike drone during a massed attack on western Ukraine on the night of 24 September, according to ArmyInform. The brigade itself released the combat footage. It shows an air-to-air missile being launched, followed by the drone exploding in the air…
-
Ночные «Герани»: удары по Киеву, Николаеву и Одесской области
The Russian milblogger channel Rybar reports that Russian forces carried out an all-night strike on Kyiv and Kyiv oblast in the night leading into 27 September 2026, mainly with Geran-5 drones. It says port, logistics and maritime targets in several other regions were also hit. Rybar lists these targets: a Vodafone data centre in Kyiv, which it says provide…
-
Ракета или дрон: в польской прессе оценили «Герань-5»
Voennoye Obozreniye (topwar.ru) relays an assessment by the Polish outlet Defence24 of Russia's jet-powered Geran-5, asking whether it is a drone or a cruise missile. According to Defence24, the Geran-5 is not a Shahed-136/238 derivative but is based on the Iranian Karrar jet drone, powered by a commercial Chinese Telefly TF-TJ2000A turbojet, with a reporte…
-
Report: CIA warned Spain, France and Italy of possible Russian drone attacks launched from ships in the Mediterranean; Italy disputes it
The Spanish daily El Mundo reported late on 23 September that the CIA has warned European governments of a possible Russian drone operation against Spain, France or Italy. The drones would be launched from ships in the Mediterranean. According to El Mundo, as relayed by Ukrainska Pravda, Defense News and Meduza, European foreign ministries received a detail…
-
Satellite imagery shows Ukrainian drone strike damaged Shahed storage bunkers at Tsymbulovo drone base
The Tsymbulovo drone base near the village of the same name in Russia's Oryol Oblast is used to store, prepare and launch Russian strike drones of the Geran family — both Iranian Shahed-derived variants and newer jet-powered types. According to Militarnyi, construction began in August 2024 and investigators believe the first launches may have taken place as…
-
Presidential adviser: Ukraine ignored Russia's MESH drone-control network for a year — Geran-5 already flies on it, satellite threat looms
Serhii Beskrestnov, presidential adviser on defense technology, says Ukraine's armed forces spent roughly a year without a systematic counter to the MESH radio networks Russia uses to control its jet-powered Geran drones — despite Russia developing this capability openly. He directs pointed criticism at the former commander-in-chief and the electronic-warfa…
-
Wild Hornets' STING S interceptor claims ~10 Geran-4 and several Geran-5 kills and heads for mass production; Geran-5 seen with internalised turbojet
According to Militarnyi, a crew (call sign 'Rubin') of the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment shot down a Russian Geran-5 small cruise missile around 19-20 September with a new interceptor drone, the STING S, by direct collision; the video was published by manufacturer Wild Hornets. Euromaidan Press, citing a Wild Hornets representative interviewed by NV…
-
Ukraine unveils SBU jet-powered interceptor drone and reports kills on jet-powered Geran drones; Russian jet drone crashes near Chisinau
On 19 September 2026 President Zelensky announced that Ukraine's Security Service (SBU) has developed a new interceptor drone, already successfully deployed against jet-powered Shahed-type drones. According to Militarnyi, which picked up the report, the aircraft has delta-shaped wings and is launched from the ground by catapult. It would be the second publi…
-
FT: Iran Requested Delivery of Russia's Newest Jet-Powered Attack Drones
According to the British newspaper Financial Times — as relayed by the Russian state-aligned outlet topwar.ru on 13 September 2026 — Iran has asked Russia to supply its newest generation of jet-powered Geran attack drones, specifically the Geran-4 and Geran-5, reportedly for potential use in a conflict with Israel and the United States. FT attributes the cl…
-
Rybar: 'Geran' drone campaign against Kyiv (20 Aug–10 Sep)
Rybar (a pro-Russian Telegram milblogger channel, not an official MoD source) claims that the 50th Separate Unmanned Systems Brigade 'Varyag' ran a systematic campaign against Kyiv and its surroundings between 20 August and 10 September 2026, using reactive/jet-powered Geran-4 'Siker' and Geran-5 drones flown along what the channel calls 'corridors 4 and 5'.
-
Defense Express: how fast a cheap interceptor missile against jet drones can reach production — the Frankenburg case
Defense Express uses the Estonian defense startup Frankenburg Technologies (founded 2024, backed by roughly €40 million after a €30 million Series A in February 2026) as a case study in how quickly a cheap interceptor missile against jet-powered attack drones can go from idea to serial production. The product is the Mark I: a compact solid-fuel missile weig…
-
Russian analysis: 'The Evolution of the Geran Drones — Speed versus Range'
SINGLE SOURCE — Russian state-aligned outlet (topwar.ru, author Kirill Ryabov). The piece is an analytical overview of how Russia's 'Geran' family of loitering munitions has evolved over four years of use, from slow piston-engine aircraft to fast jet-powered variants. Its central claim is an engineering trade-off: gains in speed come at the cost of range. T…
-
WarGonzo cites FT: jet-powered 'Geran-4/5' drones reshape Russian air strikes
The Telegram channel WarGonzo claims that the new jet-powered drones 'Geran-4' and 'Geran-5' have noticeably changed the character of Russia's air campaign against Ukraine. The post is effectively a summary of an article the Financial Times published the same day, 13 September 2026. According to that reporting, Ukraine intercepts only about 60% of jet-power…