The appearance of Geran strike drones in the sky, now fitted with air-to-air missiles with homing warheads, is effectively pushing the air war into a completely new phase.

According to military expert Alexander Ivanovsky, these Russian drones have been armed with short-range R-60M missiles capable of engaging targets at distances of up to five kilometres. He noted that this range is not always sufficient to reliably shoot down fighter jets such as the F-16, which are currently in service with the Ukrainian Air Force, although under certain conditions they too could come under threat. At the same time, he pointed out that Ukrainian air defence helicopters and piston-engine aircraft would be far more vulnerable, and that an R-60-equipped drone could take them down with relative ease.

In his view, a single «swarm» may include several drones carrying such missiles. These Gerans would, in effect, assume the role of air cover for the entire group. The drones can be controlled by a human operator, while the command to launch a missile at an enemy aircraft, helicopter or drone can also be issued by an artificial intelligence system.

Ivanovsky is convinced that the combat capabilities of unmanned aviation will grow by leaps and bounds in the coming years. He argues that, ultimately, such platforms will evolve into fully fledged fighter aircraft in their own right.