Russia is steadily transforming its Iranian-designed Shahed family from cheap kamikaze munitions into agile airborne hunters that can stalk other drones and even aircraft. The latest twist is a so-called “Hunter” launcher concept, which effectively turns these loitering weapons into flying prey that can chase targets while still threatening cities and infrastructure on the ground. The shift signals a new phase in the drone war over Ukraine, where the line between missile, interceptor and suicide drone is rapidly blurring.
Instead of treating Shaheds as expendable one-way bombs, Russian engineers are now layering on air-to-air weapons, sensors and jet propulsion, creating a modular toolkit that can be tailored for both mass strikes and aerial ambushes. I see this as less a single wonder weapon and more a system-of-systems approach, where launch platforms, upgraded airframes and bolt-on missiles combine to overwhelm Ukraine’s already stretched air defenses.
From slow kamikaze to jet-powered “Hunter” launcher
The starting point for this evolution is Russia’s decision to field a jet-powered variant of its Shahed-derived line, known domestically as the Geran series. Earlier this year, Russia deployed a new drone called the Geran-5, described as jet powered and carrying a 90-kilogram warhead with a range on the order of 1,000 kilometers, giving it reach and speed closer to a cruise missile than the propeller-driven Shaheds that first terrorized Ukrainian cities. Ukrainian officials have reported the first operational use of these jet-launch capable systems, noting that Ukraine Reports First using these Geran-5 drones as part of long-range attacks. That combination of speed and payload is what makes the airframe attractive as a carrier for additional weapons.
Russian media and military commentators have framed the latest configuration as a dual-role or “dual-strike” Shahed, capable of engaging both air and ground targets in a single sortie. Video segments shared under the Gravitas label describe Russia’s “jet-powered terror” as a Shahed 2.0 that can dodge interceptors and hunt smaller drones. Ukrainian intelligence has echoed that assessment from the other side of the front, warning that a New Russian Shahed at once by carrying an air-to-air missile alongside its main explosive payload. In practice, that turns the drone into a flying launcher that can fire at interceptors or reconnaissance aircraft before diving on a power plant or warehouse.
Bolting MANPADS and R-60 missiles onto Russian Shaheds
The most striking element of this “Hunter” concept is how crudely some of it is being implemented. Russian units have been photographed and described strapping shoulder-launched surface-to-air missiles onto Shahed-type drones, effectively turning Russian Shahed drones into makeshift air defense platforms. Reports describe these adaptations as using MANPADS, short for man-portable air-defense systems, that would normally sit on a soldier’s shoulder but are now fixed under a drone’s wing or fuselage. The logic is simple: if Ukraine sends a helicopter or slow aircraft to chase the Shahed, the drone can fire back.
Engineers appear to be refining this approach despite early skepticism about whether such lash-ups are truly effective. Technical assessments note that the MANPADS “suck on the” aerodynamics of the airframe and raise questions about whether the system is operationally effective, but the very fact that Russia is flying such prototypes shows a willingness to trade elegance for battlefield experimentation. In parallel, Ukrainian sources have documented cases where Russia Used Shahed an R-60 air-to-air missile for the second time, indicating that the concept has moved beyond one-off experiments. The R-60, with its “60” designation, is a compact missile originally designed for fighter jets, and mounting it on a Shahed turns the drone into a budget interceptor that can threaten low-flying aircraft and other drones.
Air-to-air Shaheds and the psychological shock factor
Russian commentators have leaned into the narrative that turning kamikaze drones into air-to-air platforms is a potential “Game Changer” for the air war. Video explainers under the banner Russia Turned Shahed describe how these drones, once purely one-way attack munitions, are now being pitched as “Air Hunters” that can stalk Ukrainian assets in the sky. The framing is deliberate: if every incoming Shahed might also carry an air-to-air missile, then Ukrainian pilots and drone operators must assume that even a lumbering loitering munition could suddenly fire back. That uncertainty is part of the weapon.
Technical analysts caution that not every airframe in this family can handle the extra stress. One assessment notes that the Giron airframe “won’t handle everything,” a reminder that bolting missiles onto a drone designed for one-way strikes involves structural compromises. Yet the same commentary stresses that Russia has clearly shown the willingness to push boundaries, especially in Eastern Europe and Central Asia where the air war is most intense. Coverage of these upgrades in Eastern Europe and notes that the Shahed line is being enhanced with additional sensors such as a camera and a radio modem, which are essential for guiding air-to-air shots and coordinating with operators on the ground.
Dual-strike doctrine: hunting drones while hitting cities
What makes the “Hunter” launcher concept particularly worrying for Ukraine is its integration into a broader dual-strike doctrine. Ukrainian military intelligence has warned that a New Russian Shahed at Once, carrying an air-to-air missile alongside a primary explosive payload. That means a single drone can first attempt to shoot down an interceptor or reconnaissance platform, then continue on to strike a power grid node or ammunition depot. In effect, the drone becomes both bait and bullet, forcing defenders to choose between engaging it early and risking a missile shot, or letting it pass and protecting ground targets later.
Russian narratives around these systems emphasize their ability to “dodge” defenses and “hunt” smaller drones, language echoed in segments shared under the Shahed and “New” tags on social platforms. Ukrainian officials, for their part, frame the same systems as an escalation in Russia’s campaign to saturate air defenses with cheap but increasingly sophisticated drones. When combined with the jet-powered Geran variants and the Jet launch capable Geran-5, the result is a layered threat that can arrive in waves, some configured as pure kamikaze weapons, others as airborne launchers waiting to pick off anything that rises to meet them.
Ukraine’s counter: Sting FPV interceptors and mobile teams
Ukraine is not standing still in the face of this evolution. On the front lines, small first-person-view interceptors are being fielded specifically to chase down Russian Shaheds before they reach critical infrastructure. One of the most prominent examples is the Small but mighty Sting FPV interceptor drone, which has been highlighted as a key weapon for bringing down Russian Shaheds. These nimble quadcopters are guided by operators wearing video goggles, who steer them directly into incoming drones in high-speed collisions that destroy both aircraft but save the target city or power plant.
Alongside these interceptors, Ukraine is deploying Mobile fire teams equipped with machine guns, anti-aircraft guns and other short-range weapons, racing to intercept each drone before it can adjust course or fire any attached missile. These teams must now assume that a Russian Shahed might be more than a simple kamikaze, especially when intelligence points to variants enhanced as Aircraft and Anti Aircraft platforms with added cameras and radio links. The cat-and-mouse dynamic is intensifying: as Russia experiments with air-to-air Shaheds, Ukraine responds with specialized interceptors like Sting FPV, and both sides race to adapt tactics faster than the other can respond.
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