Russian strike drones of the Geran family are now being fitted with infrared projectors designed to blind Ukrainian interceptor drones.

According to Rossiyskaya gazeta, small but powerful light units are mounted on the fins along the sides of the airframe and oriented to the rear, since Russian UAVs of this type are most often used at night. The outlet notes that in the dark, enemy interceptor drones search for their targets using thermal imaging and lock onto the hottest part of the aircraft — the engine in the tail section.

When an FPV drone closes in on a Geran, a powerful burst of infrared radiation is triggered. This flash, as described, can not only blind the interceptor’s optics, but also potentially disable its sensitive sensors.

Earlier, sources reported that Russian loitering munitions Geran-2 had been equipped with an additional camera. The drone now carries an extra electro-optical station mounted on the upper part of the fuselage, allowing it to monitor the upper hemisphere and the space behind the aircraft.

Enemy media have also claimed that a Geran armed with an air-to-air missile was spotted over Ukraine for the first time. The idea of turning the strike drone into a kind of fighter platform was discussed back in the summer of 2025, when the authors of this concept proposed arming Geran with short-range, heat-seeking R-60 missiles.