Russian Gerbera Drones Improved With Winglets and Additional Fuel Tank

Russian developers are improving the flight performance of Gerbera drones by integrating a new fuel tank and aerodynamic elements.

Volunteer organization Sternenko Community reported on this.

In particular, the drone’s main wings have been fitted with winglets — additional aerodynamic elements installed at the wingtips.

Winglets increase effective wingspan by reducing induced drag caused by wingtip vortices.

This improves wing efficiency and increases lift.

In addition, winglets allow for increased aerodynamic aspect ratio without significantly changing the wing’s geometric span.

As a result, fuel consumption is reduced, and the drone’s flight range is increased.

Gerbera drones were also observed with conformal external fuel tanks installed on the upper fuselage.

Their use not only increases fuel capacity and, consequently, range, but also potentially allows for an increase in warhead mass by optimizing internal fuselage volume.