Warhead upgrades
How the warheads of Russia's most-used strike drones and missiles have changed — Geran, Lancet, Banderol, Dan-T — each variant dated and sourced.
Russia keeps the airframes and changes what they carry. A Geran that started with a 50 kg blast-fragmentation charge now flies with thermobaric, incendiary, tungsten-pellet and cutting warheads. Each row below gives the warhead, its type, its mass, when it was first reported and the source that reported it. Russian claims are labelled as claims.
KN-23 Academy of Defence Science (North Korea)
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline conventional warhead | high explosive | ~500 kg (estimate) | 2019 | CSIS estimates a 500 kg payload to about 450 km, with a lighter payload allowing about 690 km source |
| Warhead observed in Ukraine | high explosive | not established | 2023 | Defense Express sources said blast effects in Kharkiv in January 2024 were much smaller than a 500 kg warhead would suggest source |
| 2.5-tonne warhead (enlarged variant) | conventional (claimed) | 2,500 kg (North Korean claim) | 2021 | KCNA said a "new-type tactical guided projectile" tested by the Academy of Defence Science on 25 March 2021 carried a warhead improved to 2.5 tonnes; not independently verified source |
| 4.5-tonne "super-large" warhead (Hwasong-11Da-4.5) | conventional (claimed) | 4,500 kg (North Korean claim) | 2024 | KCNA claimed a 4.5-tonne conventional warhead in a September 2024 test; South Korea's military assessed a similar modified KN-23 type. A July 2024 launch of the same type appeared to fail source |
Geran-2 Alabuga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCh-50 ("Warhead 50") | fragmentation-HE plus shaped charge (Iranian design) | 53.5 kg assembly; 2.5 kg OF and 25.5 kg shaped-charge explosive | 2022 | The baseline Iranian-supplied warhead under the 2023 Alabuga contract; Alabuga was to be trained to make it itself source |
| Tungsten-ball warhead | high-explosive fragmentation | not published | 2023 | Differently shaped warhead packed with tungsten balls, with Cyrillic markings, reported by Ukraine's trophy-weapons research centre in autumn 2023 source |
| OFZBS-50 | fragmentation-HE-incendiary | ~50 kg (25 kg HE); ~4,000 tungsten-alloy fragments | 2023 | GosNIIMash design, same size and mass as the Iranian original, proposed in leaked Alabuga documents source |
| OFZBCh-50 | fragmentation-HE-incendiary | ~50 kg (16 kg HE) | 2023 | NPO Basalt with Technodinamika; 5,000 units proposed. Fragmentation liners may contain zirconium for an incendiary effect source |
| Thermobaric warhead (TBBCh-50M) | thermobaric | ~52 kg (about 30 kg HE core, 20 kg thermobaric mix) | 2023 | Developed by the Scientific Research Institute of Applied Chemistry; 3,000 proposed for Alabuga. HUR found a TBBCh-50M on the Verba-armed series Э in January 2026 source |
| BCh-90 | fragmentation-HE-incendiary (OFBZ) | 92 kg assembly, 62 kg explosive | 2023 | Nearly double the explosive yield; ST45 steel and zirconium elements; apparently combat-tested on 25 November 2023; cuts range sharply source |
| Add-on fragmentation charge | external charge with pre-formed fragment belt | ~40 kg added (~90 kg total) | 2025 | Reported by Russian Telegram outlet Shot on 18 September 2025; range said to fall from ~1,800 to ~1,200 km. Single-source Russian claim source |
| Liquid incendiary warhead | incendiary | ~90 kg (claimed) | 2025 | Russian media claim of a nose tank of incendiary mixture ignited near the target; not independently confirmed source |
Geran-3 Alabuga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard warhead | high-explosive fragmentation (Shahed-238 class) | ~50 kg | 2025 | Warhead class reported for the jet Shahed family; Ukrainian reporting on Geran-3 interceptions cites a 50 kg warhead source |
| Heavier payload option | not specified | up to ~90 kg | 2025 | CSIS lists payloads of up to 90 kg on some Russian variants; warhead type not published source |
Geran-4 Alabuga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OFBCh-50 (OFZBCh-50) | High-explosive fragmentation | 50 kg | 2026-05 | Standard warhead of the baseline Geran-4 source |
| TBBCh-50M | Thermobaric | 50 kg | 2026-05 | Made by FNPC NII Prikladnoi Khimii JSC; HUR module page added 12 Aug 2026 source |
| ZBBCh-50 + OFBCh-2 | Incendiary with high-explosive fragmentation element | ~50 kg | 2026-08 | Combined incendiary/HE-frag load; HUR module page added 12 Aug 2026 source |
| TBBCh-90 | Thermobaric (enlarged) | 90 kg | 2026-05 | Enlarged version listed with the May 2026 HUR release; HUR gives 90 kg as warhead mass in specs source |
| KRSN (cumulative cutting special load) | Shaped-charge cutting load for power-line supports and bridge structures | ~40 kg main charge plus four cutting elements (Russian claim) | 2026-10 | Listed by HUR on 5 Oct 2026; first wreckage photo and a strike on Dnipropetrovsk power lines reported by a Russian channel on 9 Oct 2026 source |
Geran-5 Alabuga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCh-90 | Not specified by HUR (high-explosive class) | ~90 kg | 2026-01 | The only warhead HUR lists for the Geran-5; same mass class as the largest Geran-2/Geran-4 warheads source |
Gerbera Alabuga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small explosive charge | high explosive | ~10 kg reported | 2024 | Some, not all, Gerberas carry a charge of roughly 10 kg; armed versions likely fly much shorter distances source |
| Observed warheads up to 5 kg | high explosive | up to 5 kg | 2025 | Ukrainian forces reported warheads of up to 5 kg; a Gerbera that came down in Lithuania in 2025 carried about 2 kg source |
| Gerbera-2 payload | warhead or equivalent payload | 20–30 kg (claimed) | 2026 | Russian-channel description of the enlarged Gerbera-2, relayed by Ukrainian channel Victory Drones; not independently confirmed source |
Molniya-2 Atlant Aero
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standard charge | high explosive | up to 5 kg | 2024 | About a tenth of a Shahed's warhead; versions without a warhead have been used to overload air defence (HUR) source |
| TM-62 anti-tank mine | anti-tank blast mine used as a warhead | not stated (drone payload given as up to 7 kg) | 2025 | Russian MoD said airborne troops of the Ivanovo formation fit TM-62 mines to Molniyas source |
| Reinforced charge (Molniya-2) | high explosive | up to 10 kg reported | 2024 | HUR says the Molniya-2 carries a reinforced warhead; the Kyiv Independent gives up to 10 kg source |
Iskander-M KBM (Machine-Building Design Bureau)
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 9N722F-series high-explosive warhead | high explosive / HE-fragmentation | ~450 kg class (HUR lists 450 kg for the missile's warhead) | 2006 | Made by GosNIIMash, per the HUR component map source |
| 9N722K5 cluster warhead | cluster (cassette) with 9N730 submunitions | not published separately | 2006 | GosNIIMash cluster warhead. Wreckage of a cluster-warhead Iskander-M that fell on Shpychkine railway station near Kramatorsk on 9 March 2022 was photographed by Ukraine's National Police; Ukraine's General Staff said the 4 April 2025 Kryvyi Rih strike used a cluster warhead source |
| Penetrator and thermobaric warheads | earth penetrator; thermobaric | within the 480–700 kg payload range | Listed among available warhead types by CSIS; HUR lists a penetrating type source | |
| Special (nuclear) warhead | nuclear | not published | The system is dual-capable; HUR lists a "special" warhead option. No nuclear use; listed here because it shapes how the launcher deploys (e.g. Belarus) source |
S8000 Banderol Kronstadt Group
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Banderol warhead | high-explosive fragmentation | up to 150 kg (HUR); 114 kg with up to 50 kg explosive (later Ukrainian reporting) | 2025 | Far smaller than the 400-500 kg warheads of Kh-101 or Iskander-K source |
Kh-101 MKB Raduga
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Baseline unitary warhead | high-explosive fragmentation, penetrating or cluster | 400–450 kg | 2012 | The standard conventional fit per CSIS and Wikipedia; the nuclear Kh-102 carries a warhead estimated at 250 kt source |
| Main warhead 9-E-2648 | high-explosive fragmentation (main charge) | not published | not published | Made by NPO Splav (Tula) with 711 ARZ, Gidromash, NITI im. Snegiryov, Samara State Technical University and the Nerekhta Mechanical Plant involved source |
| Tandem OF warhead MSNI.37364.376 | tandem fragmentation-high-explosive with a second fragmentation warhead | about 800 kg total (Raduga said "from 450 kg to 800 kg") | 2024 | GosNIIMash design. The second charge holds ready-made cube fragments; fuel capacity was cut to make room. First seen in a missile downed on 29 March 2024 source |
| Incendiary cluster submunitions | cluster with incendiary elements | not published | not published (reported May 2026) | Ukraine's Defence Ministry describes steel balls with zirconium inserts, titanium-hydride capsules and a plastisol explosive it says is 30–40% more powerful than RDX; it reads the design as aimed at fuel and oil storage source |
Kalibr
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| High-explosive fragmentation (standard) | HE-fragmentation | ~450 kg class (CSIS); about 3,600 steel fragments, each able to penetrate up to 10 cm of concrete (Ukrainian MoD) | 2015 | Warhead found in Kalibrs shot down over Ukraine from 2022 to early 2026 source |
| Cluster warhead | cluster (submunitions) | not published | 2026 | First found by Ukraine's MoD in missiles downed in spring 2026; described as similar to the Kh-101 cluster warhead and meant to widen the area hit, e.g. aircraft in the open at airfields source |
| Special (nuclear) warhead — 3M-14S | nuclear | not published | 2024 | Militarnyi reported procurement documents for 56 3M-14S missiles with a "special warhead", to be built by Novator in 2024–2026; not used in the war source |
3M22 Zircon NPO Mashinostroyeniya
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 3G22 main warhead | high-explosive (anti-ship / land attack) | ~120 kg (HUR); no more than 40 kg explosive per Kyiv forensic experts | 2023 | Made by GosNIIMash with an electromechanical detonator. HUR called the mass "extremely low" for Russia's most expensive strike missile, below the 150 kg of the Banderol cruise missile. Other reporting gives ~300 kg, a figure not supported by the debris analysis source |
P-800 Oniks NPO Mashinostroyeniya
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Semi-armour-piercing HE (Russian service) | semi-armour-piercing high explosive | ~250–300 kg (sources differ) | 2002 | CSIS gives 250 kg semi-armour-piercing; Wikipedia gives 300 kg for the national version source |
| High-explosive (export Yakhont) | high explosive | ~200 kg | 1999 | Export-standard warhead fitted to Yakhont rounds source |
Dan-T Rostec
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dan-T warhead | not specified | 130 kg (Rosoboronexport) / 135 kg (other reports) | 2026 | Maximum warhead figure from Rosoboronexport's El Alamein data source |
Shahed-136 Shahed Aviation Industries
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| BCh-50 ("Warhead 50") | fragmentation-HE plus shaped charge | 53.5 kg assembly; 2.5 kg OF and 25.5 kg shaped-charge explosive | 2022 | The Iranian-designed baseline warhead supplied with Shahed-136s to Russia under the 2023 Alabuga contract, per leaked documents source |
Su-34 Sukhoi
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAB-500 with UMPK | unguided general-purpose bomb with glide-and-correction kit (satellite navigation, pop-out wings) | ~500 kg class | 2023 | The workhorse of Russia's glide-bomb campaign; UMPK kits were deployed in 2023, ending the low-level unguided bombing runs that had cost Su-34s heavily in 2022 source |
| FAB-1500 with UMPK | general-purpose bomb with glide-and-correction kit | ~1,500 kg class | 2023 | Until July 2024 the heaviest weapon known to be carried by the Su-34 was in the 1,500 kg class source |
| FAB-3000 with UMPK | general-purpose bomb with glide-and-correction kit | over 3,000 kg | 2024 | Russian MoD video published in July 2024 showed one carried on the centreline and released from a Su-34, with UMPB D-30SN glide bombs under the wings; earlier footage had shown only impacts source |
| FAB-500T with elongated UMPB-5 / UMPK-PD kit | glide bomb with extended-range kit | ~500 kg class | 2026 | Russian MoD videos of 15 and 24 July 2026 show Su-34 NVO aircraft carrying four of these; the longer body could hold a small turbojet. Kommersant claimed up to 100 km, or 200 km with a booster, which is unverified source |
| UMPB D-30SN | small-diameter guided glide bomb | ~250 kg class (seen on FAB-250-270 bodies) | 2024 | Carried under the wings alongside a FAB-3000 UMPK in July 2024; seen again on FAB-250-270 bombs in a July 2026 image source |
FAB with UMPK glide kit Tactical Missiles Corporation
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| FAB-250 M-54/M-62 | high-explosive general-purpose bomb | 250 kg class | 2023 | Used with the kit at least as early as May 2023; also the core of the UMPB D-30SN source |
| FAB-500M-62 | high-explosive general-purpose bomb | 500 kg class | 2023 | The first and most widely used bomb fitted with the kit source |
| FAB-500T | high-explosive bomb, thick-walled | 500 kg class | 2024 | Made by NPO Bazalt; paired with the extended-range UMPK-PD from 2024 source |
| FAB-1500 M-54 | high-explosive general-purpose bomb | 1,500 kg class | 2023 | Used with the kit from at least September 2023; displayed in January 2024 during Defence Minister Shoigu's visit to Tactical Missiles Corporation source |
| FAB-3000 M-54 | high-explosive general-purpose bomb | 3,000 kg class | 2024 | First use claimed by Fighterbomber on 20 June 2024 near Liptsy, Kharkiv region (unverified by Kyiv Independent); Russian MoD released Su-34 launch video on 14 July 2024 source |
| ODAB-500 | thermobaric (fuel-air) bomb | 500 kg class | 2024 | Russian MoD video dated 4 April 2024 showed an Su-34 launching four with UMPK kits source |
| ODAB-1500 | thermobaric (fuel-air) bomb | 1,500 kg class | 2024 | Used with the kit from at least February 2024 source |
| RBK-500 | cluster bomb | 500 kg class | 2023 | Used with the kit from at least November 2023 source |
Tu-95MS Tupolev
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kh-101 cruise missile (carried weapon) | conventional air-launched cruise missile | not given in these sources | 2016 | Up to eight carried on four double underwing pylons by modernised aircraft; first combat launch from a Tu-95MS against targets in Syria on 17 November 2016; the main weapon used against Ukraine. See the Kh-101 page source |
| Kh-55 / Kh-55SM / Kh-555 cruise missiles (carried weapon) | air-launched cruise missile (Kh-555 is the conventional conversion) | not given in these sources | 1981 | Six internally on the MS6; the MS16 could take up to 16 Kh-55 or 14 Kh-55SM with underwing pylons. Ukrainian Air Force reports name Kh-555 alongside Kh-101 in strikes from the Caspian area source |
Lancet ZALA Aero Group
| Warhead | Type | Mass | Since | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Lancet-1 warhead | high-explosive | 1 kg | 2019 | Smallest variant, 5 kg MTOW source |
| KZ-6 shaped charge | shaped charge (cumulative) | ~3 kg (up to 1.5 kg TG-40 explosive) | 2022 | Soviet engineering demolition charge fitted in foam inside the Izdeliye-52 fuselage; up to ~200 mm armour penetration under ideal conditions source |
| Stand-off initiated charge | shaped charge or explosively formed penetrator (unclear) | not reported | 2023 | Detonates a few metres short of the target, triggered by lidar, to defeat nets and cage armour source |
| Izdeliye-51 / 53 heavier warhead | not specified | ~5 kg (Russian claim) | 2023 | Russian sources claim a more powerful ~5 kg warhead; not verified by Militarnyi source |
| PTM-3 anti-tank mine | shaped charge (improvised) | 4.9 kg total (1.8 kg explosive) | 2025 | Soviet scatterable anti-tank mine observed in place of the KZ-6 source |