The drone discovered last week in the Kyiv region is a new Russian multifunctional drone called Gerbera.

This became known when comparing the available photos in the Ukrainian media and a video published by the Russian invaders, where they talk about a new model of their military drone.

This UAV, whose body is made of foam, has only recently been used by the Russians against Ukraine.

On Sunday, July 28, the Russian Stalin’s Falcons unit published a video showing the Gerbera drone developed by the Gastello Design Bureau. It is stated that this UAV could be used for electronic reconnaissance, as a kamikaze drone or as a decoy for air defense systems.

Given the previously published photos, a drone without a warhead was found in the Kyiv region on July 24, meaning that it was performing a reconnaissance or other function.

According to the video footage, the strike version of the Gerbera drone uses a camera, very similar to the one installed on FPV drones, for manual targeting by the operator.

The accuracy of the targeting depends on the skill of the operator, because even in the propaganda video it can be seen that the drone did not hit the target, but exploded nearby.

The flight range of a drone with a warhead is likely to be relatively short, limited by the range of direct radio communication. However, another drone with a transponder can also be used to guide the Gerbera drone. The Russians use the Lancet loitering munition in the same way.

However, the downed/suppressed drone in Kyiv region had two 3/4G antennas and a modem with a SIM card inside, which in certain areas can provide a more stable communication channel for transmitting video to the operator’s control panel via the Ukrainian mobile network. Or the Russians used this equipment to have the drone transmit its location when it was shot down or suppressed by EW so that other drones would bypass the area.

It is also likely that the drone can fly along a predetermined route without operator intervention and without a repeater, as Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones, called Geran in Russia, do. The onboard numbers on the new drones also begin with the letter “И,” just like the Shahed drones. In addition, it is stated that these drones could form a swarm.

The exact range of the Russian Gerbera UAV and the weight of its payload are currently unknown. However, the fact that it reached the Kyiv region indicates that it can travel at least several hundred kilometers.

Presumably, Gerbera drones are manufactured at a plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, located near the city of Yelabuga in Russian Tatarstan. The production of Shahed/Geran UAVs has also been established there.