Geran-5 drones pose new threat to Ukraine with advanced navigation

Russia has deployed a new variant of its jet-powered Geran-5 attack drone, which is proving significantly more difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept. The new version, identified as the Geran-5 K5-K, features a redesigned fuselage and an electro-optical navigation system known as ‘Susanin’. This system allows the drone to navigate by comparing real-time terrain imagery with pre-loaded maps, making it highly resistant to electronic jamming and reducing reliance on satellite data.

The Geran-5 is faster and has a longer range than previous propeller-driven models, with speeds estimated between 450 and 600 km/h and a range of up to 1,000 km. Ukrainian officials report that while older drone variants have an interception rate of approximately 95 per cent, the interception rate for the Geran-5 is only about 60 per cent, forcing Ukraine to rely more heavily on fighter jets for defense.

In a recent deadly daytime attack, Russian drones struck the National Academy of Sciences in Kyiv, causing explosions and fires in the historic center. The strike resulted in casualties, including the death of an assistant to a former national security official. Other strikes in the region hit a medical facility and a business center in Dnipro, highlighting the increasing complexity of the aerial threat posed by these advanced unmanned systems.