Russia’s new Dan-T loitering munition is effectively a small cruise missile:
It has a slender cylindrical fuselage with swept wings and a conventional tail, rather than the broad delta-wing shape characteristic of the Geran family. Released images of the aircraft make it appear to be over 3 m long with a wingspan of approximately 2 m. It has a launch weight of 268 kg, making it significantly smaller and lighter than conventional cruise missiles. The Dan-T is reportedly powered by a domestically produced Russian MD-120 turbojet engine. The system is also being outfitted with upgraded electronics intended to improve its resilience against Ukrainian electronic warfare systems.
Unlike many Russian loitering munitions, the Dan-T is designed to be air-launched from either fixed-wing aircraft or helicopters, including the Su-34, Su-57, and Mi-28, and can also be integrated with foreign aircraft. A ground-based launching system has also been developed, increasing the tactical utility of the weapon. After release, the Dan-T operates as a fire-and-forget weapon, autonomously navigating to a pre-programmed target using a combination of inertial navigation and satellite guidance. It reportedly flies at low altitude while following the terrain and avoiding obstacles. As it approaches its target, the Dan-T abruptly gains altitude before diving vertically onto the target from above.
The Dan-T has a reported range of 450 km and a maximum speed of 500 km/h. This makes it considerably faster than the propeller-driven Geran-2, while the jet-powered Geran-3 provides a closer comparison in speed and the newer Geran-5 can reach approximately 600 km/h. However, all three Geran variants have greater ranges than the Dan-T, with the Geran-5 capable of traveling nearly twice as far. The Dan-T makes up for its shorter range with a 130 kg warhead, which is larger than those typically carried by the Geran series. Its range, speed, and payload remain significantly below those of Russia’s conventional cruise and hypersonic missiles, but the Dan-T is considerably less expensive and requires fewer resources to produce.
The Dan-T is reportedly based on the Dan-M aerial target, a jet-powered drone used to train Russian air-defense units by replicating incoming aircraft and cruise missiles. […] As an aerial target, the Dan-M was designed to be relatively inexpensive and has an established supply chain capable of supporting mass production.