Geran-5 drone. Photo source: Telegram / GUR
Russian forces used a new attack drone called Geran-5 earlier this year in the war against Ukraine, according to an announcement made by Ukraine's military intelligence service (GUR) on Sunday, The Kyiv Independent reports.
The new drone, which resembles Iran's Karrar model, is equipped with a Telefly jet engine, having greater thrust than the Geran-3 model. Unlike other drones in the Geran family, mainly derived from Iran's Shahed drones, the Geran-5 is built in a classic aerodynamic configuration.
According to GUR, the drone is approximately 6 meters long and has a wingspan of 5.5 meters. It can carry a 90-kilogram warhead and has an estimated range of nearly 1,000 kilometers, which would theoretically allow it to hit any point on the territory of Ukraine.
On-board systems are similar to previous models and include a Comet-type 12-channel satellite navigation system, as well as a tracking system based on the Raspberry Pi microcomputer and 3G/4G modems.
Attack drones play a key role in Russia's aerial campaign against Ukrainian cities and infrastructure, which has intensified in recent weeks amid Moscow's attempts to strike Ukraine's energy grid.
Ukrainian military intelligence services claim that Russia is looking into the possibility of integrating Geran-5 drones on attack aircraft such as the Su-25 to extend their range.
Equipping them with R-73 air-to-air missiles is also taken into account, to counter the Ukrainian aviation, according to GUR.
In parallel with Russia's efforts to modernize its drone fleet, Ukraine is developing new defense tactics.
In addition to air defense systems provided by Western partners, Kiev has accelerated the production of interceptor drones, designed specifically to neutralize Russian Shahed drones.
Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky said this Sunday that in the past week alone, Russia has launched approximately 1,100 attack drones, 890 aerial guided bombs and 50 missiles at Ukraine.
