Ukraine’s Security Service (SSU) has reported the successful interception of a Russian Geran-5 missile by a newly developed jet-powered interceptor drone. President Volodymyr Zelensky released video said to show the engagement, but the claimed interception has not been independently verified.
The SSU said its military counterintelligence branch achieved what Zelensky described as a positive result in countering jet-powered Shahed-type threats. According to the president, the interceptor drone has been developed and has already been deployed successfully. He also thanked the developers and manufacturers involved in expanding production of weapons required by Ukraine.
The published footage offers only a limited view of the interceptor. An assessment of the video cited by Militarnyi indicates that the aircraft has a delta-wing configuration and is launched from the ground by catapult. Ukrainian authorities did not disclose its manufacturer, engine type, flight speed, range, guidance equipment or the method used to detect, track and engage the target.
Second interceptor publicly revealed
The system is the second Ukrainian interceptor drone to be publicly unveiled, following Alexa Spatium, according to Militarnyi. The report said that Ukraine had field-tested four types of interceptor drones intended to counter jet-powered Geran aircraft by the end of August.
The reported target was a Geran-5, which differs substantially from earlier Geran and Shahed-family designs in its aerodynamic arrangement. Whereas previous Shahed and Geran systems are associated with a delta-wing layout, the Geran-5 is described as more closely resembling a small cruise missile.
Ukraine’s Defence Intelligence, as cited by Militarnyi, assesses that the Geran-5 is a Russian copy of Iran’s Karrar drone. The source described it as a small-sized winged missile and said its first recorded use against Ukraine occurred in January 2026. Its use has increased gradually since then, although reported numbers remain substantially lower than those of Geran-4 missiles.
Reported Geran-5 configuration
The Geran-5 is reported to be approximately 6 metres long and to have a wingspan of up to 5.5 metres. It carries a 90kg warhead, according to the report. The weapon is fitted with a Chinese-made TELEFLY TF-TJ2000A rocket engine rated at 200kgf of thrust.
Militarnyi reported that the Geran-5 can be launched either from a ground-based launcher or from an aircraft, including Su-25 attack aircraft. Its stated strike range is about 1,000km. The source gave a cruising-speed range of 450km/h to 600km/h and estimated its maximum flight altitude at 6km, describing its cruising speed as significantly higher than that of the Geran-4.
For navigation and target guidance, the system reportedly uses a 12-channel Kometa satellite-navigation system, a tracker based on a Raspberry Pi microcomputer, and 3G/4G modems. The source did not provide details on the extent to which these systems were present on the missile involved in the claimed interception.
Limited details on the interception
The SSU announcement identifies the engagement as a successful operational use of the new interceptor but does not specify where or when it took place, how many interceptor aircraft were launched, or whether the Geran-5 was destroyed at a particular stage of flight. No independent confirmation of the outcome was included in the report.
The disclosure nevertheless provides a further indication of Ukraine’s work on unmanned interceptors designed for jet-powered Geran threats. The released video suggests a ground-launched, delta-wing aircraft, while the SSU’s statement indicates that the system has progressed beyond development into at least one reported successful deployment. Further technical details and information on the scale of fielding have not been released.
