Russia continues to adapt and evolve its copies of the Shahed-136 long-range one-way attack drone, known locally as the Geran, which is now armed with a man-portable air defense system (MANPADS). These are more often called shoulder-fired heat-seeking missiles. The development follows an earlier version of the R-60 air-to-air missile-carrying drone, which you can read more about here. It also appears as Russia makes additional alterations to the drone, including improved line-of-sight control capabilities and self-protection systems.
Russian forces are mounting Igla MANPADS on Shahed drones to target Ukrainian helicopters that intercept them. The drones carry a camera and radio modem, and the missile is launched remotely by an operator on Russian territory. pic.twitter.com/T5TKPHyhVu
— WarTranslated (@wartranslated) January 4, 2026
An example of a MANPADS-equipped Shahed/Geran can be seen in recent images, including a video, showing the drone lying in the snow, after it landed intact in Ukraine, reportedly in the Chernihiv region in the north of the country. According to the Ukrainian accounts, as well as the missile mounted on the rails on the top, the drone is equipped with a camera and a radio frequency modem.
Top view of the Shahed/Geran lying in the snow with Igla MANPADS (unused) mounted on top. through X
The missile itself was widely reported as Igla-S, among the latest models of this widespread MANPADS. Known in Russia as the 9K388, and with NATO as the SA-24 Grinch, the weapon has a maximum range of about 3.7 miles, and improvements over previous Igla missiles include a more sensitive infrared seeker, a heavier warhead, and an improved fuze.
A member of the Venezuelan military has a 9K338 Igla-S MANPADS launcher in Caracas on October 30, 2025. Photo by Federico PARRA / AFP FEDERICO PARRA
On the other hand, the inscription on the top of the launch tube appears to read 9K333, indicating that it is the more modern Verba (SA-29 Gizmo), which was developed as a replacement for the Igla. Its primary advantage is its advanced multispectral seeker, operating in the ultraviolet, near-infrared, and mid-infrared bands, for improved discrimination between targets and decoys.
Adapting the MANPADS to the Shahed/Geran seems simpler than the R-60, with no need for the launch rail adapter; instead, the MANPADS is simply attached to the drone within its standard launch tube. The complete Igla, for example, is also much lighter: about 40 pounds in its tube, compared to close to 100 pounds for the R-60, minus the launch rail.
Russia has begun employing long-range Shahed/Geran-type UAVs equipped with air-to-air missiles to combat Ukrainian aviation assets, reports Ukraine’s military radio technology expert Serhii Flash.
The remains of a Shahed/Geran type drone with R-60 short-range air-to-air… pic.twitter.com/NHBDQQqCK9
— Status-6 (War and Military News) (@Archer83Able) December 1, 2025
As for the drone, the original Shahed-136 is of Iranian origin. Multiple variants and derivatives of the Shahed-136, including a jet-powered type, are now produced in large numbers in Russian factories, where they are known locally as Geran, the Russian word for geranium. Constant improvements have been made to these drones, including a degree of dynamic targeting capability, as you can read here.
As we have discussed in the past, adding a heat-seeking anti-aircraft missile to the Shahed/Geran would in theory provide the drone with a means to engage Ukrainian fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters. At the very least, giving the drone the ability to strike back at these threats offers a deterrent capability. In general, the effectiveness of this combination is questionable. Particular challenges include the need for a high degree of situational awareness, perhaps requiring cameras around the airframe, and the need to maneuver the drone to bring it into a boresight location to achieve lock-on. However, Russia clearly considers adaptation worth exploring, if only as a deterrent strategy to keep drone fighters at bay.
Profile view of the Shahed/Geran armed with MANPADS standing in the snow. through X
For some time now, Russia has been working on a man-in-the-loop (MITL) control capability for the Shahed/Geran, a feature that was confirmed when they started showing up with cameras and cellular modems, something TWZ explored in detail at that time. These developments allow the drone to be connected to an operator. Standard Shaheds fly autonomous routes to pre-planned targets on autopilot without any man-in-the-loop control. These are ‘fire and forget’ weapons.
Meanwhile, the reach with which MITL can be achieved has steadily increased. At first, drones were adapted to exploit patchy cellular networks to provide additional connectivity when available. More recently, Shaheds have been flying with antennas that allow direct line of sight control close to the front lines. This allows them to hit targets dynamically like an FPV drone, while packing a much heavier punch and being able to hover for long periods of time. You can read all about this development here. Now, datalink range is being extended using airborne signal relays, possibly creating a mesh network with multiple line-of-sight links. Now we are also seeing Russian drones will Starlink terminals, which can provide a much superior capability beyond the line of sight and can prove to be a big problem for Ukraine if Russia can produce such a configuration in large volumes. These developments are now blurring the classification of the Shahed/Geran from its original one-way long-range attack drone to a rotating munition, with on-board imaging capability.
Potentially, a Shahed/Geran armed with MANPADS or R-60 could use beyond-line-of-sight capabilities to operate the missile. But bearing in mind that we know Russia is using drones closer to the front lines, this would only require line of sight to operators near the front, or at least from receivers/transmitters placed there. Drone controllers behind the lines can also ‘collect’ them once in the area, but such an operation is much more complex and fraught with additional risks.
However, targeting and engaging a missile-armed drone is far from simple. It is likely that the modern seeker used by the Igla-S or Verba makes it easier to engage aerial targets, compared to the R-60, with a reduced need to ‘point’ the drone directly at the target. Anyway, the operator has to trigger the launch of the missile after receiving the signal indicating that a lock-on has been achieved.
Close-up of the front end of the MANPADS, with an actuator attached to open the protective cap that covers the front of the tube before the missile is fired. through X
At the same time, the Shahed/Geran remains a slow-launching and not particularly agile platform, and certainly not one that was designed with air-to-air combat in mind. Adding a top-mounted missile is also likely to degrade its maneuverability and affect its stability, but less so than with the R-60.
When it comes to finding targets from the air, the most likely scenario involves operating completely reactive to what is visually seen on cameras around the drone or otherwise searching for targets of opportunity. Another option would involve the drone operator receiving target information from an offboard asset, where applicable, but this seems less likely.
Bearing in mind the performance of the Shahed/Geran and the range of the MANPADS, the most likely targets would be the armed transport helicopters of the Mi-8/Mi-17 Hip series and the Mi-24 Hind series gunships which are regularly tasked with anti-drone missions. We have already seen that lower and slower flying helicopters face a noticeable risk from relatively small kamikaze drones that simply fly into them. Ukrainian F-16s, MiG-29s, Su-27s and Mirage 2000s have also been heavily tasked as ‘Shahed hunters,’ but engaging fighters with these weapons would be even more difficult. Still their very existence adds a credible threat to the fighters who approach them.
Footage showing the door gunner on a Mil Mi-8 Multirole helicopter with the Ukrainian Air Force using his M134 Minigun to shoot down a Russian Shahed-136 Attack Drone. pic.twitter.com/UWBd8QUXEf
— OSINTdefender (@sentdefender) November 12, 2025
While it remains to be seen how effective the Shahed/Geran combination with MANPADS (or R-60) is, these developments reflect an earlier precedent for arming drones with air-to-air missiles. The deterrent effect of this can be seen in at least one case since 2002, when a US Air Force MQ-1 Predator drone fired a heat-seeking Stinger anti-aircraft missile at an Iraqi MiG-25 Foxbat fighter it was trying to take down, which can be seen in the video below.
These measures are also indicative of the efforts being made by Russia to better defend the Shahed/Geran drones. Another recent development involves the apparent addition of infrared countermeasures to defeat drone interceptors and possible missiles fired by fighters. Attached to the back of the drone’s stabilizing end plates, these appear to employ electrically heated cylindrical blocks to generate infrared beam energy, much like the Hot Brick system.
Ukrainian military radio technology specialist and consultant Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov reported that Russian Geran-2 drones are now capable of blinding interceptor drones and aircraft.
According to him, the Russians are equipping their strike UAV with infrared searchlights.… pic.twitter.com/dtpnbKIklE
— OSINTWarfare (@OSINTWarfare) January 3, 2026
So far, we have no evidence of a missile-equipped Shahed/Geran attempting to engage a Ukrainian plane, let alone shoot one down. However, having long-range one-way attack drones equipped with air defense missiles provides another complicating factor for Ukraine and demonstrates the ongoing modifications being made to these weapons.
Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com