Russian Geran seeker strike drones have been linked into a unified network to operate as a single coordinated swarm, according to Dmitry Kuzyakin.
Kuzyakin, the general director of the Center for Integrated Unmanned Solutions, told Russian state news agency TASS that updated Geran seeker uncrewed aerial vehicles now operate within a shared network. The Moscow-based organization specializes in the development, testing, and operational deployment of uncrewed aerial systems for military applications.
The upgraded aircraft function through a mesh network architecture, a decentralized communications system where every drone in a formation receives data and retransmits it to surrounding units. This continuous relay mechanism allows ground operators to promptly view live camera feeds transmitted directly from the drones during flight.
According to Kuzyakin, the unified network allows the drones to respond rapidly to changing tactical conditions on the battlefield. Specifically, if initial drones in a group detect active ground-based air defense systems, trailing aircraft can use the shared operational data to steer clear of those defended sectors.
Mesh networking and swarm tactics
Explaining the group dynamics, Kuzyakin said the drones begin to act as a full-fledged swarm and a single organism. He noted that if the formation is struck in one location, such as having its outer elements hit, the system pulls back its remaining units and selects a new flight trajectory along a different path.
Kuzyakin emphasized that the capability relies on practical technology rather than science fiction, describing the system as the product of routine daily work by Russian engineers and military personnel.
In wireless technology, mesh networking allows independent devices to route data dynamically among themselves without depending on a fixed central control station. This decentralized approach helps maintain communication across a group of autonomous aircraft even when operating in hostile electronic warfare environments.
Terminal guidance and smart optics
The addition of swarm networking builds on previous technical enhancements made to the Geran series, which consists of long-range strike drones used to hit distant strategic targets. Kuzyakin recalled that more than a year ago, Geran drones received an in-flight retargeting and terminal guidance system that turned the aircraft into smart weapons.
The networking developments follow disclosures in July that long-range drones used to strike rear infrastructure targets in Kyiv, the capital of Ukraine, had been outfitted with smart optical systems. Those onboard cameras and processor units are capable of automatically identifying, classifying, and marking targets detected during flight.
