Ukraine’s Main Directorate of Military Intelligence (GUR) reported on 11 January that Russian forces employed the GERAN-5 kamikaze drone during combined aerial attacks against Ukraine carried out in the first days of January.

According to the GUR, Russia is also developing variants of the GERAN-5 intended for air launch, particularly from Su-25 fighter-bombers, and for integration with R-73 air-to-air missiles, enabling the drone to engage both ground targets and aerial threats, thereby expanding Russia’s strike capabilities and air-defence posture.

The GERAN-5 features a conventional aerodynamic configuration; it is approximately 6 m long with a 5.5 m wingspan and can carry a warhead of around 90 kg, with a range of up to 1,000 km. The drone shares several key components with other models of the GERAN family, including a 12-element KOMETA CRPA antenna, a tracking system based on a RASPBERRY microcomputer, a 3G/4G modem, and a Telefly turbojet engine. According to the GUR, the GERAN-5 is based on the Iranian KARRAR drone.

(Photo: render of the GERAN-5 released by Ukrainian intelligence)