The Ukrainian Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defence said that Russia used the new Geran-5 strike drone against the country for the first time, starting early 2026, during a combined air attack.
According to the intelligence sources, the drone is approximately 6 metres long and has a wingspan of up to 5.5 metres. The aircraft features a standard aerodynamic design, unlike previous versions of the Geranium series and is classified as a cruise missile.
Other features of the model are similar to the previous models in the series.
The drone uses a similar Telefly jet engine, similar to the one used in Geran-3 UAV, but with a greater thrust. The jet engines are Chinese-made and
The warhead weighs 90 kilograms and its range is approximately 1000 kilometres.
The drone also uses a 12-channel Kometa satellite navigation system, a tracker based on a Raspberry Pi microcomputer and 3G/4G modems.
The main intelligence directorate said, “As with previous Gerans, this UAV can hardly be considered a Russian Federation development. Significant design and technological similarities with the Iranian Karrar drone have been recorded."
The Iranian Karrar drone was first tested in 2023 and was equipped with an AD-08 missile from the Majid air defence system, which shot down an air target.
The Ministry of Defence said that Russia is currently working on an option to equip the Geran-5 with R-73 air-to-air missiles, which could increase its threat to Ukrainian aviation.They are also reportedly exploring options to deploy the drone from the Su-25 aircraft.
Russia had already equipped some of their previous drones with R-60 missiles.