Russia Produces About 2,800 Geran-2 Drones per Month

According to estimates by the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, Russia produces about 2,800 Geran-2 strike drones per month, the agency told Militarnyi.

The Geran-2 has evolved from a copy of the Iranian Shahed-136 into a multi-purpose platform that Russia continually adapts in response to countermeasures.

The drones are equipped with protected navigation systems, cameras, data-transmission modems and online control systems.

By late 2025, drones equipped with R-60 missiles had emerged. These missiles can be used against Ukrainian aircraft and helicopters.

A modification equipped with the Verba MANPADS has also been identified, allowing the drone to retain its warhead after launching the surface-to-air missile.

In 2026, Shahed drones began to be equipped with electro-optical systems on gimbals, alternative VOR/DME navigation systems and infrared illuminators for countering aircraft. A separate concept has also emerged for a mothership drone capable of carrying FPV drones.

New foreign components were found this year in downed Shahed/Geran-2 drones. In particular, components manufactured in Germany, Japan, Switzerland and the United States in 2025 were identified in the drones.

According to the Defence Intelligence of Ukraine, the main production of Geran-2 drones takes place in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone in Tatarstan.

Russian Geran-2 production combines large-scale serial assembly with continuous modernization of the drones. At a rate of about 2,800 UAVs per month, that amounts to more than 33,600 drones per year.

The scale of production allows Russia to maintain the large-scale use of Shahed-type UAVs while simultaneously modifying their electronics and combat equipment in response to Ukrainian countermeasures.

Since the beginning of the full-scale invasion, more than 120,000 Shahed drones have been used to attack Ukraine.