Military — 2026-10-31

Ukraine Finds Russia's Geran Drones Fitted With Compass That Works Through GPS Jamming

BLUFMagnetometer-equipped Gerans that hold course through GPS jamming undercut Ukraine's electronic warfare layer and shift the defensive burden toward costlier kinetic intercept.

Ukrainian sanctions commissioner Vladyslav Vlasiuk said on Facebook on October 28 that Russia has begun installing magnetometers in the tails or tail fins of its Geran drones, posting photos from a Ukrainian site that studies Russian weapons 12. He did not name the Geran models or the magnetometer type, and said Ukrainian specialists are also examining a new Russian jamming device, without saying where it was found 12. Euromaidan Press reported that Ukrainian military intelligence (HUR) said on October 5 that the upgraded Geran-4 carries a "MOKh" unit built around a US-made PNI5GA magnetometer, paired with the SADRA inertial module 1. Militarnyi reported that the new components are based on Western-made parts 2.

Analysis
Russian Gerans now carry a heading source that GPS jamming cannot degrade, which erodes the value of Ukraine's satellite-denial layer against these drones. Electronic warfare units must plan for drones that hold course by compass and inertial navigation after losing satellite lock, shifting weight toward kinetic interception. The hardware appears to be spreading from the upgraded Geran-4 into other variants, though no source names models or numbers. Western-made components remain central, giving Kyiv's sanctions work a concrete evidentiary base. Confidence is low: both outlets trace to one Facebook post, with no independent technical examination and no named magnetometer model or fielded count. The magnetometer may instead be a modest accuracy aid for the inertial module, with Vlasiuk's post chiefly meant to press for tighter component sanctions.

2 sources