Russia Equipped Drones for Poland Incursion With Extra Fuel Tanks

Before being sent toward Poland, Russian forces equipped Gerbera drones with additional fuel tanks to extend their range, a Ukrainian analyst known as Polkovnik GSh (war_home) said.

In the standard configuration, the Gerbera carries a single fuel tank in its tail.

The drones that crashed in Poland had an extra tank installed in the nose.

The fuel tanks are made of flexible multilayer polymer material.

Such lightweight “soft tanks” fold easily, withstand vibrations and are widely used in drones.

The Russian Defense Ministry alleged it did not intend to strike targets in Poland and claimed the drones were incapable of reaching the border. “The maximum flight range of the Russian UAVs used in this attack does not exceed 700 km,” the ministry said.

But according to the Ukrainian side, the additional fuel tanks enabled the drones to reach Poland via Belarus.

Gerbera is a Russian loitering munition made of polystyrene foam and described as a simplified version of the Iranian Shahed-136.

On August 10, several such Gerberas crossed into Poland through Belarus, becoming the first drones of this type shot down over NATO territory. Dutch F-35s played a key role in intercepting them.

The Belarusian General Staff later said it had passed information to Poland about the drones in transit.