Ukraine Tests Four Interceptors to Counter Jet-Powered Geran Drones

Ukraine has conducted field tests of four interceptor drones designed to counter jet-powered Geran drones.

LB reported on this, citing Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara.

“The search for ways to counter jet-powered drones is ongoing. There are already four potential interceptors that can shoot down jet-powered Shaheds,” the Minister shared.

According to him, the immediate task is to bring these solutions to the required level as quickly as possible and scale up production to thousands of units.

Recently, it was reported that production of Russia’s jet-powered Shahed-type kamikaze drones, the Geran-4 and Geran-5, had surpassed production of Geran-2 strike drones equipped with conventional internal-combustion engines.

This was likely achieved by redirecting part of Russia’s production capacity to manufacturing jet-powered drones.

A substantial and gradual increase in Russia’s use of jet-powered drones began to be recorded in early 2026. By April, 15–20% of the Shaheds Russia launched were equipped with jet engines.

As of early June, Russian forces had launched 1,400 jet-powered UAVs, compared with only 180 such cases recorded by Ukraine’s Defense Forces throughout 2025.

However, since the first weeks of summer, the Defense Forces have recorded a significant increase in Russia’s use of jet-powered Shaheds, substantially increasing the burden on Ukrainian air defense units and aviation.

It was recently reported that the jet-powered Alexa Spatium interceptor had been accepted into service with Ukraine’s Defense Forces.

Geran-4s and 5s

The Geran-4 and Geran-5 kamikaze drones are among the newest members of this Russian family. Despite sharing the same designation, their designs differ substantially.

The Geran-4 builds on the concept of the Geran-3 jet-powered drone. Its fuselage is optimized for higher-speed flight, and the drone has a more powerful engine.

The drone has a wingspan of about 3 meters and a length of 3.5 meters, matching the previous version’s dimensions. At the same time, its maximum takeoff weight has increased from 350 to 450 kilograms.

The Geran-4 is equipped with a Chinese turbojet engine producing 160 kgf of thrust, twice that of the Chinese Telefly JT80 engine installed on the Geran-3. This has increased its cruising speed from 280-330 to 350-500 km/h and its range from 600 to 850 kilometers.

The drone can fly at altitudes ranging from 100 to 5,000 meters, with an endurance of about 2.5 hours. Its warhead weighs at least 50 kilograms.

The Geran-5 has a fundamentally different design. Its developers abandoned the aerodynamic configuration characteristic of earlier models.

The fuselage shape makes the new aircraft resemble a cruise missile more than a Shahed-type drone with a delta wing. The drone is equipped with a Chinese TELEFLY TF-TJ2000A jet engine producing 200 kgf of thrust.

The Geran-5 carries a 90-kilogram warhead, while its stated strike range is about 1,000 kilometers.