Russian Geran-4 has been introduced to strike Ukrainian targets by bypassing improved Ukrainian air defenses and mobile interceptor groups. The drone can fly at 450 to 500 km/h. The drone is much faster than older propeller-driven models. The drone uses a turbojet engine instead of a piston engine.
Evolved from Iranian Shahed drones
Russian Geran-4 has an electro-optical camera with 10x optical zoom and machine vision to be able to attack the target more efficiently. The jet-powered attack drone seems to have been evolved from the Iranian Shahed drones.
96 foreign-made components found
In a teardown carried out by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) this month, there were around 96 foreign-made components found in the fast flying drone. These parts include communications, microelectronics, and navigation modules. These seem to have been sourced from countries like China, Taiwan, Germany, the US, Switzerland, and Canada.
"RFE/RL takes apart a Russian Geran-4 drone to uncover what makes the jet-powered unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) faster, harder to intercept, and capable of operating deep inside Ukraine -- from its turbojet engine and advanced camera to foreign-made communications and navigation components," said a post by Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty on X.
Russian Geran-4 production rises
Russian Geran-4 production has been scaled up to new levels. The manufacturing of the attack drone has been increased at several facilities within Russia. This includes the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan.
Used to bypass Ukrainian air defenses
The Russians are using it to bypass improved Ukrainian air defenses and mobile interceptor groups. The drone is also being used for long-range strikes against logistics hubs, port infrastructure and military targets.
