Russia Increased Use of Jet-Powered Strike Drones Eightfold and Has Launched 1,400 Units Since the Beginning of Year

The Russian military is significantly expanding its use of new jet-powered drones.

This was reported to Militarnyi by Colonel Alexander Zaruba, Chief Researcher at the State Research Institute for Testing and Certification of Weapons and Military Equipment, during a briefing on the topic: “The Russian Federation’s Use of Air Attack Weapons Against Civilian Infrastructure: Technical and Humanitarian Aspects.”

Among the main types of jet drones, the Russians are using the Geran-3, Geran-4, and Geran-5 to strike Ukraine.

According to official statistics, there has been a sharp increase compared to previous years: since the beginning of 2026, Russian forces have already launched 1,400 such high-speed UAVs.

By comparison, in 2025, air defense forces recorded only 180 such incidents.

The increased use of such drones allows the enemy to more quickly penetrate areas where mobile fire groups are deployed. For some interceptor drones, jet drones become out of reach due to a new speed threshold.

For example, the Shahed-238 jet drone (known as Geran-3) has a cruising speed of 350–550 kilometers per hour and a range of up to 1,500 kilometers.

The enemy is also actively deploying the Geran-4 variant. The drone carries a 50-kilogram payload, and its range is 850 kilometers. The largest drone in this series is the Geran-5.

Its fuselage is 6.5 meters long, and a TeleFly TF-Tj2000a turbojet engine ensures high speed performance.

As previously reported, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi reported that Russia plans to significantly increase the use of jet-powered strike drones in air attacks on Ukraine—their share could reach 50%.

The occupiers are constantly changing their tactics for using UAVs, increasing their numbers, and improving their capabilities, which complicates the work of Ukrainian air defense.

The Commander-in-Chief noted that during a working meeting on countering enemy strike drones, proposals were discussed to improve the effectiveness of Ukrainian air defense and further modernize domestic interceptors.