Russia has reportedly unleashed a new jet-powered long-range strike drone, designated Geran-5 by Ukrainian intelligence, marking yet another innovation of Iranian-origin UAVs by Russia.
Russian forces used a new, long-range jet-powered drone in the early days of the new year, Ukraine’s military intelligence (HUR) announced on January 11, 2026.
The drone’s wreckage, with long fixed wings attached to a thin chassis, was photographed on snow-covered ground.
The GUR said that the Geran-5 is constructed in a traditional aerodynamic configuration, in contrast to earlier Geran-2 and Geran-3 variants, which are based on the notorious Iranian-origin Shahed-136.
“Unlike previous modifications of the ‘geran’ line, the device is made according to a normal aerodynamic scheme. At the same time, most of the key nodes and components are unified with other samples of this series,” it stated.
The Geran-5 is about 6 meters long, has a wingspan of about 5.5 meters, and can carry a payload weighing about 90 kilograms. It is jet-powered and significantly faster than the propeller-driven or Geran-2, the most widely deployed by Russian forces.
The Ukrainian Intelligence agency surmised that the Geran-5 bears an uncanny resemblance to Iran’s Karrar drone.
Russia deployed its new Geran-5 strike drone against Ukraine for the first time in early 2026, HUR reports. The 6-meter UAV carries a 90kg warhead with 1,000km range and closely resembles Iran's Karrar drone. pic.twitter.com/ClqKbPUVa2
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 11, 2026
Iran designed the Karrar primarily as a target drone for its air defence systems. However, it has since evolved into a versatile platform capable of conducting suicide missions, anti-ship strikes, as well as air-to-air engagements.
In fact, the reports in local Iranian media suggested that the drone has been used by Tehran to warn US and other spy planes from entering the Iranian airspace in the past.
Russia appears to have used Karrar’s technology to produce a new drone locally, incorporating Russian elements such as a Raspberry Pi-based tracker and 3G/4G modems, as well as a 12-channel satellite navigation system (Cometa), which is also used in the Geran-2 and Geran-3 variants.
This fits into the broader Russian strategy of leveraging existing Iranian drone technology and design, rebranding them as the Geran-series by producing them locally, integrating Russian components, and adding new modifications.
Notably, the newly discovered Geran-5 is specifically designed for long-range strike missions or kamikaze attacks, unlike the Karrar drone, which focuses on versatile missions.
As consistently seen in the ongoing war, small kamikaze drones pose a serious threat to slower-moving, lower-flying helicopters and interceptors. It would help that the Geran-5 is jet-powered and significantly faster than the Geran-2.
It is worth noting that the Geran-5 is not the first jet-powered kamikaze drone fielded by Russia; Russia has been operating the Geran-3 (based on the Shahed-238) for at least a year. In fact, the Ukrainian military earlier said Geran-3 was full of foreign parts and equipped with jamming-resistant technology.
The Geran-3 has a range of 1,000 kilometers, much like the new Geran-5. But the Geran-5 is powered by the Chinese-made Telefly engine and has greater thrust than the Geran-3.
Interestingly, the GUR said that Russia plans to launch the Geran-5 drones from aircraft such as the Su-25 to further increase range and reduce operating costs. Separately, it is also purportedly exploring the possibility of arming the drone with the R-73 air-to-air missiles to counter Ukraine’s aircraft, as per the agency.
The Russian Ministry of Defense (MoD) has yet to acknowledge the existence of this new jet-powered drone.
However, we know that the deployment represents an advancement in Russia’s drone fleet, indicating a move toward longer-range, agile systems that can carry larger payloads and cause significant destruction at a fraction of the cost of a ballistic or cruise missile.
Russia’s Geran-Upgrade
The wreckage of the Geran-5 was found days after Ukraine announced the downing of another Iranian-origin kamikaze drone, the Shahed-107.
The use of the drone in Ukraine was first confirmed in November 2025 by Ukrainian electronic warfare expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov, as reported by the EurAsian Times.
Although there are limited details about the drone in the public domain, some Open Source Intelligence (OSINT) bloggers have surmised that, at the time, the drone was equipped with a 4-element CRPA satellite navigation system and could carry an 8–9 kilogram warhead.
The drone is purportedly designed for targeted strikes on high-value assets, such as military equipment or infrastructure. It is capable of real-time live video transmission to identify targets before diving to impact, which may make it suitable for hunting mobile or high-priority targets in Ukraine, such as HIMARS.
In addition to deploying new drones, Russia has also modified the Geran-2.
A propeller-driven drone with a range of up to 2,500 kilometres, speed of 180 kilometres/hour, and a warhead of 40–90 kilograms, the Shahed-136 has been extensively deployed by Russia to attack Ukraine’s energy grid, power plants, and critical infrastructure. These low-cost drones are launched in swarms to overwhelm Ukrainian air defences, making them a constant source of trouble for Kyiv.
Russia has also started to equip these drones with Soviet-era R-60 air-to-air missiles, threatening Ukrainian helicopters, interceptor drones, and fixed-wing aircraft. This upgrade essentially transforms the drone into a flying missile trap and is likely intended to create a defensive “escort” capability for Shahed swarms by deterring or neutralizing prevalent air threats.
If that was not enough, Russia has also transformed the Geran-2 into a MANPAD (Man Portable Air Defense System) carrier, as seen in one of the wrecks of the downed drone.
The MANPADS installed on the drone have been identified as the Verba system based on markings on the transport-launch container (9K333/9P521). Verba is a fourth-generation Russian MANPAD designed for short-range anti-aircraft defense.
As part of this innovative upgrade, the drone has been equipped with a forward- or rear-facing camera and a mesh radio modem for real-time control from operators on Russian territory. The operator likely maneuvers the slow-flying drone to allow the Verba’s multispectral seeker to lock onto a target, followed by a remote launch.
By arming Shahed-136 armed with MANPADS, Russia seeks to directly threaten high-value, slow-moving targets such as Mi-8 and Mi-24 helicopters and potentially even fixed-wing aircraft, which have allegedly been forced to fly at lower altitudes due to the threat of long-range attacks from Su-35s.
Therefore, the introduction of the Geran-5 into this existing deadly mix of kamikaze drones could further exacerbate the threat to Ukraine.
- Contact the author at sakshi.tiwari13 (at) outlook.com
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