RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Aerospace & Defense Russia’s Upgraded Geran Drones Are Targeting Ukraine’s Black Sea Ports By Vikram Mittal ,
Forbes contributors publish independent expert analyses and insights. Vikram Mittal is a contributor who covers aerospace and defense. Follow Author Aug 09, 2026, 05:58am EDT --:-- / --:-- This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . This voice experience is generated by AI. Learn more . Summary Russia has upgraded its Geran drone fleet to regain its long-range strike advantage against Ukraine. Facing effective Ukrainian air defenses, Russia has introduced faster, jet-powered Geran-4 drones with advanced Seeker guidance. These new drones feature electro-optical cameras and machine vision, enabling precise strikes against moving targets like ships and critical infrastructure. Since July, Russia has extensively used these upgraded Gerans against Ukraine's Black Sea ports, particularly Odesa. These attacks aim to inflict significant economic damage by disrupting Ukraine's vital maritime trade. Ukraine is now developing faster interceptor drones and bolstering air defenses to counter this evolving threat, highlighting a continuous adaptation race in drone warfare.
Russia has lost the edge in its long-range strike campaign against Ukraine, despite repeatedly launching large numbers of drone and missile attacks. Over the past year, Ukraine has reduced the effectiveness of these strikes through the mass fielding of interceptor drones while simultaneously conducting long-range attacks that have systematically targeted Russian oil production facilities. Russia is attempting to regain the initiative by upgrading its Geran family of one-way attack drones. These upgrades include faster jet-powered variants, electro-optical terminal guidance, and improved flight control systems designed to penetrate Ukraine’s increasingly capable air defenses. Since early July, Russia has employed these upgraded drones extensively against Ukraine’s Black Sea ports , particularly Odesa, where they have struck fuel storage facilities, port infrastructure, and commercial vessels. The apparent objective of these strikes is to inflict significant economic damage by disrupting Ukraine's primary maritime trade corridor.
Over the past two years, Russia has invested heavily in upgrading its Geran fleet. The baseline Geran-2, which is based on the Iranian Shahed-136, remains the backbone of Russia’s long-range strike capabilities because of its relatively low cost, approximately 1,800 km range, and large production capacity. However, its maximum speed of approximately 200 km/h makes it vulnerable to mobile air-defense teams and to Ukraine's growing fleet of interceptor drones. Russia has responded by introducing several jet-powered variants , including the Geran-3 and Geran-4, each designed to improve survivability against increasingly capable Ukrainian defenses.
The Geran-4 represents the most significant redesign in the Geran drone line. Unlike the Geran-3, which largely reused the Geran-2 airframe, the Geran-4 features a new, reinforced airframe specifically designed for sustained high-speed flight. The redesigned structure improves aerodynamic efficiency and withstands the higher loads associated with maneuvering. It is powered by a Chinese-made turbojet engine and can carry a 90 kg thermobaric warhead. These modifications allow the Geran-4 to reach speeds of up to 500 km/h, enabling it to outrun many of Ukraine's standard interceptor drones.
Russia has also introduced the Seeker guidance package across portions of the Geran fleet. The system integrates electro-optical cameras, a mesh radio, and onboard machine vision for automatic target recognition and terminal guidance. An operator initially identifies the target, after which the onboard computer autonomously guides the drone during the final phase of flight. This reduces dependence on satellite navigation, improves resistance to electronic warfare, and enables attacks against discrete or moving targets such as ships, trains, and vehicles. Although the Seeker package is reportedly compatible with multiple Geran variants, it has most frequently been observed on the Geran-4.
Since early July, Russia has employed its upgraded Geran fleet to strike Ukraine’s Black Sea ports. The Russian Ministry of Defense has released several videos on its Telegram channel showing Geran Seeker drones striking port infrastructure, including fuel storage tanks, in Odesa, Chornomorsk, Pivdennyi, and Mykolaiv. These ports are well within range of drones launched from occupied Crimea, and the relatively short flight distance minimizes Ukrainian reaction time. The Ministry of Defense has also released several videos showing these drones striking vessels operating in the Black Sea near the ports, including bulk carriers, dry cargo ships reportedly transporting military equipment, and tugboats modified to deploy unmanned surface vessels.
The vessels entering and leaving these ports are particularly attractive targets because they are expensive, critical to the Ukrainian economy, and generally lack dedicated counter-drone protection. Earlier Geran variants relied primarily on pre-programmed GPS coordinates, making it challenging for them to hit a moving ship. The Seeker guidance package allows the drone to acquire and track a designated vessel during the terminal phase of flight. The Seeker system also allows the drones to strike critical parts of the ship more precisely, maximizing damage. Some Russian attacks have employed Gerbera drones outfitted with Seeker systems. Although these drones have only a 5 kg payload, they can still disable a vessel if they strike vulnerable components such as fuel systems or other critical equipment.
The videos released by the Russian Ministry of Defense also provide insight into Russian employment tactics. The strikes typically consist of small groups of two to four drones, including a mix of Geran-4s, Geran-2s, and Gerbera drones, all...
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