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Russia Develops Geran-2 Loitering Munition with New Thermobaric Warhead to Target Fortified Positions.
Since March 2024, Russia has deployed an upgraded version of the Geran-2 strike drone in Ukraine, equipped with a thermobaric warhead to enhance strike effectiveness. This upgrade has doubled the warhead’s weight from 50 to 90 kg, enabling more powerful impacts that are particularly effective against fortified positions and confined spaces. This enhancement has been accompanied by an increase in the Geran-2’s production and deployment on the Ukrainian battlefield, reflecting a strategic shift toward exerting sustained pressure on Ukrainian defenses through frequent, high-impact strikes.
Russian Home-Made Geran-2 Loitering Munition (Picture source: X Social Network )
Since its initial appearance in the Ukraine conflict in late summer 2022, the Geran-2, originally of Iranian design, has undergone a progressive transformation in Russia, adapted to meet the specific tactical needs of the Russian military. This loitering-type drone, largely inspired by Iran's Shahed 136, has evolved into a versatile and economical strike platform. This article analyzes the primary modifications made to the Geran-2, its tactical evolution, and its impact on the Ukrainian battlefield.
Initially designed as a simple loitering munition, the Geran-2 has received numerous technical upgrades under the supervision of the Russian defense industry. Compared to the Iranian model, the honeycomb structure has been replaced with a fiberglass frame reinforced with carbon fiber, making mass production easier. This adjustment reflects a shift toward rapid industrialization, aligning with Russia's low-cost production strategy.
The thermobaric warhead installed in the Geran-2 significantly enhances its effectiveness for striking fortified positions and underground infrastructures, such as bunkers and tunnels. Unlike conventional warheads, the thermobaric charge disperses a fuel aerosol into the air before igniting, creating an intense shockwave accompanied by extreme heat. This process generates a devastating overpressure that penetrates confined spaces, consuming surrounding oxygen and amplifying the explosion’s power. This type of warhead is particularly effective against targets requiring penetration into hardened structures, causing significant destruction even in well-protected areas.
In a practical scenario, against a fortified position or a tunnel network used for storing military equipment, the Geran-2 equipped with this thermobaric warhead could be deployed to neutralize such installations. When striking a tunnel entrance, the thermobaric explosion propagates inside, destroying everything in its path due to the intense pressure and prolonged heat wave, effectively reducing the enemy’s ability to use underground infrastructures as shelters or ammunition depots.
The drone remains modest in size, measuring 3.5 meters in length and 2.5 meters in wingspan, but incorporates an MD 550 engine of 50 hp, originally developed in Germany, allowing it to cover up to 2,000 kilometers at a speed of 180 km/h. These characteristics make the Geran-2 capable of long-range strikes, although its initially limited role has evolved into more diversified capabilities.
The Geran-2’s navigation system has also been enhanced. The original GPS has been replaced by the Russian Kometa-M system, compatible with GLONASS, making the device less reliant on foreign technologies and more resistant to jamming. Additionally, GSM trackers utilizing Kyivstar networks enable geolocation based on mobile relays in urban areas, with an estimated accuracy of 200 meters.
In parallel, the Geran-2’s communication modules include devices of Chinese and Russian manufacture, capable of transmitting real-time information. This transmission capacity enhances its versatility: the Geran-2 can gather intelligence deep within Ukrainian territory and transmit live images, optimizing tactical information for the Russian military. However, this reconnaissance capability is not standard across all drones; only certain models are equipped with commercially available PTZ cameras, allowing for more flexible use depending on operational needs.
As mentionnéd above, since March 2024, an improved version of the Geran-2 has been deployed in Ukraine, with modifications aimed at enhancing its strike capacity. The warhead’s weight has increased from 50 to 90 kg, with two newly developed warhead types: thermobaric and high-explosive. Although this modification reduces its range, it does not significantly affect its ability to reach deep targets in Ukraine, due to the geographic proximity of the front lines.
These improvements indicate a Russian strategy to maximize the Geran-2’s impact while optimizing production. Additionally, certain models are equipped with 4G modems for real-time reconnaissance data transmission, a major advantage in a context where precise intelligence is critical. This capacity allows downed drones to relay information on enemy surface-to-air systems, enhancing the effectiveness of subsequent strikes.
The Geran-2’s adaptations reflect a strategy of saturation and attrition against Ukrainian defenses. GSM navigation allows drones to avoid high air-defense zones, while 4G communications enable real-time tracking of targets and trajectories, providing Russian forces with increased strategic flexibility. In practice, this strategy relies on the ability to exhaust Ukrainian air defenses by multiplying potential targets and diverting costly missiles from strategic targets.
Moreover, the potential installation of a radar decoy using a Luneberg lens on the Geran-2, still under investigation, could further bolster this saturation capability. By increasing the drone’s radar signature, this decoy could attract anti-aircraft fire, reducing the effectiveness of enemy defenses.
The estimated cost of the Geran-2 remains relatively low, between $20,000 and $30,000 per unit, making it an affordable loitering munition for Russia. Due to its simplified structure and adaptations, mass production is facilitated. Far from being limited to a simple cruise missile, the Geran-2 now comprises a range of strike and reconnaissance vectors. This versatility, coupled with controlled production costs, makes it a strategic weapon in a war of attrition, where the quantity and persistence of attacks outweigh the technological complexity of each unit.
The Geran-2 represents a successful adaptation of the Shahed 136, meeting Russia's specific needs for saturation and reconnaissance on the Ukrainian battlefield. With advanced navigation capabilities, real-time communication, and streamlined mass production, it exemplifies a strategy to exhaust enemy defenses. Although relatively simple and vulnerable to interceptions, the Geran-2 has positioned itself as a reliable and cost-effective strike tool, adaptable to the evolving needs of modern warfare.
Russia has significantly ramped up Geran-2 drone production since the conflict in Ukraine began. According to a Wall Street Journal report, the Alabuga factory, located in Tatarstan, plans to produce up to 6,000 Geran-2 drones in 2024, a substantial increase compared to previous years. This increased production capacity enables Russia to maintain constant pressure on Ukrainian defenses by multiplying drone attacks. Although the exact number of Geran-2 units produced since the start of the conflict is not officially disclosed, these estimates suggest a strategy aimed at saturating opposing defense systems through mass production of low-cost drones.