Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
The Russian military has reportedly modified Geran suicide drones to deploy PTM-3 scatterable self-liquidating shaped charge anti-tank mines.
Ukrainian media shared on August 5 a photo allegedly showing a Geran-2 carrying two KPTM-3 containers, which are used to dispense the PTM-3, under its wing somewhere over the country. It is unclear if the drone was only used to deploy the mines, or if it also maintained its warhead and one-way attack capability.
The propeller-driven Geran-2, said to be a copy of Iran’s Shahed-136, has a range of around 2,500 kilometers with a cruise speed of 180 kilometers per hour. Typically, the drone is equipped with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system and carries a 50 kg warhead.
The Soviet-designed PTM-3, which contains 1,8 kg of high explosives, features a unique stamped steel body with notches in its side. The notches allow the mine to produce a shaped charge effect on five sides: four on the sides, and one on the end face.
The mine has two arming stages, pyrotechnic and mechanical. It also has a magnetic influence battery-powered fuze BT-06. It self-destructs 16–24 hours after deployment.
Click to see full-size image. (Telegram)
The PTM-3-armed Geran-2 spotted over Ukraine is likely an experimental model. The Russian military has been testing several versions of the drones, including a long-range loitering munition equipped with a thermal imager powered by artificial intelligence.
PTM-3 mines are usually deployed from engineering vehicles, helicopters or heavy artillery rockets. Using Geran-2 drones to deploy the mines could allow the Russian military to mine key routes used by Kiev forces deep in Ukraine.
This new feature will make the Geran-2 more versatile and cost-effective, as it will be able to deploy mines before hitting its target in a single mission. It’s worth noting that there have been some versions of the drone which were used to conduct reconnaissance on their one-way attack mission.
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