Iran requested new Russian Geran drones for attacks on Israeli, American targets amid war - report

Russia based the original Geran, which carries a 20-kilogram warhead and has a top speed of 185 kph, on Iranian-designed Shahed drones.

Tehran requested that Russia provide the regime with its new generation of Geran drones earlier this year during the Israeli-US war with Iran, the Financial Times reported on Sunday.

The report cited Western security officials and a source close to the Kremlin, who said that Iran made the request following substantial improvements to Russia's Geran family of drones.

According to the report, the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5, which follow their propeller-powered predecessors, have recently entered the Ukraine-Russia war and pose a much greater threat than earlier generations because they can evade defenses more easily.

Geran drones based on Moscow-produced Iranian Shahed design

Russia based the original Geran on Iranian-designed Shahed drones, which Moscow began producing in 2023.

The first-generation Geran carries a 20-kilogram warhead and has a top speed of 185 kph, while the new Geran-5 carries a 90-kilogram warhead at a top speed of 600 kph.

According to the Financial Times, it looks more like a cruise missile than a traditional Shahed drone. In contrast, the Geran-4 is less revolutionary but is more aerodynamic than its predecessor. Both have longer ranges than previous generations.

Both models also include thermal vision, AI-powered targeting, Russian anti-jamming antennas, and Chinese mesh radio network modems, while older designs relied on rudimentary guidance systems, the report added.

The report also cited pro-Kremlin media as saying the Geran-5, in particular, can be deployed by Russian Sukhoi-25 fighter jets, aircraft Tehran purchased in 2025.

In March, Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky accused Russia of supplying Iran with Shahed drones to use against the US and Israel, telling CNN's Fareed Zakaria that it is "100% facts" that Iran has used Russian-made Shaheds to attack US bases.