DIU: Russia halts production of Geran-3 jet drones and switches to a new model

Russia has stopped manufacturing Geran-3 jet-powered strike drones. The Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine informed the publication "Militarnyi" about this.

The Geran-3 was built on the airframe and electronic base of the Geran-2 drone. Its key distinction was the Chinese Telefly JT80 jet engine, installed instead of a piston engine. It allowed the drone to reach speeds between 300 and 370 km/h and cover distances up to 1,000 kilometers.

The drone was equipped with the SADRA inertial navigation system and the Kometa-M12 jam-resistant satellite system featuring a 12-element adaptive antenna array. On certain units, the Russians also installed a camera and video transmission equipment.

According to DIU, the Geran-3 design contained 45 foreign-origin components. Among them: 22 American-made parts, eight Chinese, seven Swiss, three German, two British, and one Japanese.

The Geran-3 effectively became a transitional model between the piston-powered Geran-2 and the newer jet-powered Geran-4. The electronic layout of the third version remained almost identical to its predecessor, and its airframe underwent only minor changes.

By contrast, the Geran-4’s fuselage was specially adapted for the more powerful Telefly LX-WP-160 jet engine. The new drone has a wingspan of about three meters, a length of 3.5 meters, and its takeoff mass increased from 350 to 450 kilograms. The more powerful engine also allowed for increased speed and flight range.

Thus, halting production of the Geran-3 does not mean that Russia has abandoned jet-powered kamikaze drones: the aggressor nation has moved on to producing a more sophisticated model.

Based on: "Militarnyi", DIU War & Sanctions portal