Military — 2026-10-10

Ukraine Finds US-Made PNI Navigation Sensor Inside Russia New Jet-Powered Geran-4 Strike Drone

BLUFRussia's jam-resistant Geran-4 upgrades will force Ukraine to shift from electronic warfare to costlier kinetic intercepts, straining air defenses ahead of winter infrastructure strikes.

Ukraine's Defence Intelligence (DIU) said on October 5 that an upgraded Russian Geran-4 jet drone, in use since autumn, carries a MOKh navigation module built around the PNI5GA magnetometer from US firm PNI Sensor 123. The module works with the SADRA inertial unit to reduce gyroscope drift, and a Susanin optical correlation system has been added. DIU says the Geran-5 K5 variant uses a similar system 13. DIU also reported that an Alabuga-built Russian engine replaced the Chinese Telefly turbojet, and that a new KRSN shaped-charge warhead is meant to cut bridge structures and power-line supports 12. Euromaidan Press cited presidential adviser Serhii Beskrestnov as describing a 40-kilogram main charge with four strike modules on September 30 4.

Analysis
Russia's upgraded Geran-4 is harder to jam, because the Susanin optical correlation system and the magnetometer-aided inertial unit let it hold course when satellite navigation is suppressed. Electronic warfare, Ukraine's main counter to satellite-guided Gerans, will lose effect against this variant, so defenders must lean more on kinetic interception. The KRSN warhead, built to cut bridge structures and power-line supports, fits an intercepted Russian planning document listing 60 energy and infrastructure targets for winter strikes. The Alabuga-built engine cuts reliance on Chinese supply, yet the US-made sensor shows Western components still reach Russian production. Every claim traces to one Ukrainian military intelligence release, which no outlet has independently verified. Ukraine may be stressing Western parts to press for tighter export controls, so the sensor's operational value could be smaller than implied. The number of upgraded airframes in service is unknown.

5 sources

Ukraine's Defence Intelligence details features of Russia's updated Geran-4 jet drone – photos - Ukrainska Pravda
Geran-4 Gets Russian Engine and New Navigation System — DIU - Militarnyi
The DIU has revealed details of a new modification of Russia's "Geran-4" - UNN
Ukraine finds US-made navigation sensor inside Russia's new jet-powered drone - Euromaidan Press
Will Electronic Warfare Be Powerless? Russia Has Equipped the "Geran-4" with a U.S. Chip and Optics - Dengi.ua