Russia is producing around 3,000 Geran-4 and Geran-5 strike drones every month as Moscow expands production of newer jet-powered variants for the war in Ukraine, according to Ukrainian military intelligence.
A report by Militarnyi said serial production of the drones has been established at a facility in Yelabuga in Russia's Tatarstan region, with other Russian companies supplying components for the production chain.
The reported increase comes as Russia shifts its drone programme towards faster, jet-powered systems. Ukrainian military intelligence says Moscow has stopped producing the Geran-3 and is now focusing on the newer Geran-4 and Geran-5, which are designed to be harder for Ukrainian interceptor drones to engage.
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The Geran-4 and Geran-5 are among the latest additions to Russia's Geran family, but differ considerably in their design, propulsion and capabilities.
Geran-4 . Illustrative photo.
The Geran-4 builds on the earlier Geran-3 jet-powered design. It has a wingspan of about 3 metres and is around 3.5 metres long, while its maximum take-off weight has reportedly increased from roughly 350 kg to 450 kg.
Its main upgrade is the propulsion system. The drone reportedly uses a turbojet engine producing around 160 kgf of thrust, roughly twice that of the Chinese Telefly JT80 engine used on the earlier version.
This reportedly gives the Geran-4 a cruising speed of 350 to 500 km/h, compared with about 280 to 330 km/h for its predecessor. Its range is reported to have increased to up to 850 km.
The drone can reportedly operate at altitudes ranging from 100 to 5,000 metres, with an endurance of around 2.5 hours and a warhead weighing at least 50 kg.
The combination of greater speed, range and payload is intended to make the drone more difficult to intercept while retaining its role as a relatively low-cost one-way attack weapon.
Geran-5: Russia's 'missile-drone'The Geran-5 represents a bigger departure from earlier Geran designs. Instead of the delta-wing configuration associated with Shahed-derived drones, it reportedly uses a conventional fuselage resembling a small cruise missile.
Ukrainian analysts have consequently described it as a “missile-drone”, combining features of a long-range unmanned aircraft and a cruise missile.
The Geran-5 is reported to carry a 90 kg warhead and have a strike range of around 1,000 km. Ukrainian defence intelligence has also reported that it can be equipped with R-73 air-to-air missiles, potentially giving the platform capabilities beyond one-way attacks against ground targets.
Another reported feature is its ability to be air-launched. Ukrainian intelligence has said Geran-5 drones can be carried and launched from aircraft, including Su-25 attack aircraft.
Drone war enters a new phaseDrones have evolved from supporting battlefield systems into a central component of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia initially relied heavily on Iranian-designed Shahed drones, later produced domestically as the Geran-2, for long-range attacks and to place sustained pressure on Ukrainian air defences.
Moscow subsequently expanded the Geran family while both sides developed new methods to counter unmanned systems. Smaller FPV drones have also become central to frontline operations, where they are used for reconnaissance and attacks against troops, vehicles and positions.
Russia has increasingly used large mixed drone packages combining strike drones with reconnaissance and decoy UAVs. The approach is intended to complicate detection and force Ukraine to spread its air-defence resources across a large number of targets.
By 2026, Russian attacks had evolved into prolonged, multi-wave operations, including strikes lasting more than 24 hours.
Ukraine has responded with low-cost interceptor drones designed to hunt incoming Shahed-type UAVs. These systems are increasingly integrated with radar and other detection networks, allowing Kyiv to conserve expensive surface-to-air missiles for higher-value targets.
