Illustrative image.
The Russian military has begun to use the loitering munition version of the Geran-2 drone to destroy Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea.
A video showing a Geran-2 destroying one such drone boat was released on May 27. The boat was identified as a Sargan-2, which is on the smaller size with a length of around just six meters. It is typically used for surveillance, or one-way attack missions.
The Geran-2 managed to lock on the fast-moving drone boat with its thermal electro-optical system from a fair long distance, and tracked it automatically until impact. The destruction of the boat was confirmed by footage taken from another Geran-2, which was providing surveillance.
The Geran-2, reportedly a version of Iran’s Shahed-136, is powered by a four-cylinder two-stroke gasoline engine. It typically has a range of up to 2,500 kilometers and can carry a warhead weighing 30-50 kg.
Earlier versions one-way attack versions of the drone featured only a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system, and were only able to engage pre-programed static targets.
The latest generation of the Geran-2 is, however, a fully-fledged loitering munition with an electro-optical system and a two-way datalink, enabling man-in-the-loop control. It is capable of designating targets after launch, as well as of engine moving targets, even ones traveling at relatively fast speed.
The latest strike represents a true breakthrough in the development of the Geran-2, proving that it has finally reached a level of precision allowing it to hit small boats on the move.
The Geran-2 could soon become the main defense against Ukrainian drone boats in the Black Sea. With its long range, the drone could loiter for six to eight hours off the coast of the Crimean Peninsula, designating and engaging any boats in a short period of time.
The past year saw a significant increase in Ukrainian drone boat attacks in the Black Sea, with Crimea being the main target.
Besides the more traditional explosive-rigged drone boats which are designed for one-way attack missions, Kiev forces have begun to deploy new models which are designed to carry small first-person view suicide quadcopters or even armed with heat-seeking anti-aircraft missiles.
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