Production of the Geran-4/5 Jet Drones Has Surpassed That of the Geran-2

Production of Russian Shahed-type kamikaze jet drones—the Geran-4/5—has surpassed production of Geran-2 strike drones equipped with conventional internal combustion engines.

This information was provided to Militarnyi by the Defense Intelligence of the Ukrainian Ministry of Defense.

This was likely achieved by redirecting part of the production capacity toward the manufacture of jet-powered drones.

According to estimates by the Center for Strategic and International Studies, as of March 2026, Russia was producing approximately 5,500 drones per month. At the same time, according to the Main Intelligence Directorate, as of August, Russian industry is producing about 3,000 Geran-4/5 kamikaze drones and about 2,800 Geran-2 strike drones each month.

A significant, gradual increase in the Russians’ use of jet-powered drones began to be recorded in early 2026. According to Yurii Cherevashchenko, deputy commander of the Ukrainian Air Force, as early as April, 15–20% of the Shaheds launched by Russia were equipped with jet engines.

As of early June, the occupiers had launched 1,400 jet-powered UAVs, whereas the Ukrainian Defense Forces had recorded only 180 such incidents throughout all of 2025.

However, since the first weeks of summer, the Defense Forces have recorded a significant increase in the Russians’ use of jet-powered Shaheds, which has greatly intensified the burden on Ukrainian anti-aircraft units and aviation.

According to Yurii Ihnat, head of the Communications Department of the Air Force Command, the occupiers deployed five times as many jet-powered UAVs in July as they did in June. During some attacks, they accounted for as much as two-thirds of the total number of drones deployed.

However, he noted that, overall, conventional Shahed drones are still more numerous. It is worth recalling that, in addition to “Alabuga,” which manufactures the Geran series of drones, Russia also produces the Garpyia series of drones. The Garpiya is a version of the Shahed-type kamikaze drones manufactured by the Izhevsk Electromechanical Plant ‘Kupol’.

As Major General Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Defense Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense, said in an interview with RBC-Ukraine, in July, the Russians slightly reduced the overall intensity of drone strikes and cut back on production volumes as they shifted their focus to the turbojet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 models.

“When it comes to the ‘Geran-4’ and ‘Geran-5,’ there’s an issue with their turbojet engines—they’re trying to manufacture their own. Currently, they’re completely dependent on supplies of these engines from China, and they’re expensive—each one costs about 35,000–40,000 dollars,” he said.

Geran-4/5

The Geran-4 and Geran-5 kamikaze drones are among the newest members of this Russian family. Despite sharing the same designation, they differ significantly in design. It is known that the Geran-4 builds on the concept of the Geran-3 jet-powered drone, featuring a fuselage optimized for higher speeds and a more powerful engine.

The drone has a wingspan of about 3 meters and a length of 3.5 meters, which corresponds to the dimensions of the previous version. At the same time, its maximum takeoff weight has increased from 350 to 450 kilograms.

The Geran-4 is equipped with a Chinese turbojet engine with a thrust of 160 kgf—twice that of the Chinese Telefly JT80, which was installed on the Geran-3. This has made it possible to increase the cruising speed from 280–330 to 350–500 km/h, and the flight range from 600 to 850 kilometers.

The drone can fly at altitudes ranging from 100 to 5,000 meters, with a flight duration of approximately 2.5 hours. The warhead weighs 50 kilograms or more.

The Geran-5 features a fundamentally different design. The developers abandoned the aerodynamic configuration characteristic of previous models.

In terms of its airframe design, the new aircraft more closely resembles a cruise missile than Shahed-type drones with delta wings. The drone is equipped with a Chinese TELEFLY TF-TJ2000A jet engine with a thrust of 2000N.

The Geran-5 carries a 90-kilogram warhead, and its claimed strike range is approximately 1,000 kilometers.