Russian Forces Use Geran-4 Jet-Powered Strike Drone for First Time

Servicemembers of the 1020th Anti-Aircraft Missile Regiment shot down a Geran-4 jet-powered strike drone using a STING interceptor drone. This is the first confirmed use of this type of drone.

The interception video was released by the Wild Hornets company, a manufacturer of interceptor drones.

It is noted that air defense personnel intercepted the target using the Hornet Vision CTRL control system, which allows the interceptor to be controlled from a remote command post.

Geran-4

Open sources report that the Geran-4 is a further development of the Geran-3 jet-powered drone, with a fuselage better adapted for high-speed flight and a more powerful engine.

The Geran-4 UAV has a wingspan of about 3 meters and a length of 3.5 meters, similar to the previous version, but its takeoff weight has increased from 350 to 450 kilograms.

The drone is equipped with a turbojet engine with 160 kgf of thrust, twice the performance of the Chinese Telefly JT80 jet engine used by its predecessor.

This increases cruising speed from 280-330 km/h to 350–500 km/h, with a simultaneous range increase from 600 to 850 km.

Flight altitude is 100-5,000 meters, flight duration is about 2.5 hours, and warhead weight is up to 50 kilograms.

It is known that in October-December 2025, test launches of Geran-4 and Geran-5 UAVs were conducted from the Tsymbulovo training range in Russia’s Oryol region and from the Donetsk airport territory as part of preparations for serial production.

The possibility of launching Geran-4 and Geran-5 UAVs from Su-25 attack aircraft is also being considered. According to estimates, air-launch use would extend maximum range by about 100 km and allow selection of optimal launch zones depending on air defense and electronic warfare deployment.

On April 14, Ukrainian Defense Forces struck storage sites for Russian strike drones near Donetsk airport. The operation was carried out by Ukrainian Air Force units using SCALP cruise missiles and GBU-39 guided bombs.