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Before you is the latest Russian jet drone, which is currently causing significant damage to the Ukrainian air defense system. This is an improved version of the Shahed, which Moscow has been using since 2022. It flies higher and faster than its predecessors, making it much harder to destroy. Russia uses this device, called the Geranium-4, as well as another, the Geranium-5, to sow death and destruction in Kyiv and other Ukrainian cities. Stay with us to learn how these drones work, why they are so hard to hit, and what Ukraine is doing to combat them. Meet: the Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones. "Geranium" in Russian means "pelargonium", and this is the name for all Russian drones,
derived from the Iranian "Shaheda". The numbers at the end indicate the model. There are also earlier models: "Geranium-1", 2 and 3. Let's start with "Geranium-4" and briefly consider its technical characteristics. This device is approximately 3.5 meters long, has a wingspan of 3 meters, weighs about 450 kg when fully equipped, and carries a warhead weighing up to 50 kg. Its cruising speed is about 350 km/h, its maximum speed is 500 km/h, it can climb to an altitude of up to 4,500 meters and has an estimated flight range of 650 km. This means that it flies much faster and slightly higher than the Shahed, on the basis of which it was created, because it has a maximum speed of 185
km/h and rises to a height of up to 4,000 meters. However, the original Shahed can fly much further, up to 2,500 kilometers, and we will come back to that later. Newer versions are also significantly more expensive. The Shahed costs about $50,000 to produce, while the Geranium-4 costs about $120,000. Looking closer at the drone, we see the reason why it is significantly faster and more expensive than the Shahed-it's right here, in the back. This is a turbojet engine manufactured by the Chinese company Telefly. Such engines cost about $40,000 each, which is almost equal to the cost of an entire Shahed drone.
Unlike the Shaheda propeller, which creates motion by rotating and pushing air backward, this engine sucks in air with fan blades. These same blades then compress the air before it mixes with the fuel and ignites. Hot gases are ejected at high speed through the rear of the engine, creating much greater thrust than conventional propellers. We believe that the body of this jet engine is made up of interconnected metal plates, and it appears to have robotic manipulators mounted on the sides. This appears to be done to change the direction of the engine exhaust, helping to control the drone in the air. On either side of the jet engine are
flaps on the trailing edges of the wings. They can also move up and down using mechanical levers and are also used for control. Then, here at the ends of the wings, there are these vertical plates. These are stabilizers designed to keep the drone in a stable position in the air. Mesh antennas are attached to these stabilizers. They act as repeaters, amplifying the signal of any nearby drones, allowing a group of UAVs to fly further and stay in contact with operators. In front of them are the drone's wings and its body, which are essentially one piece This is called a delta wing because it resembles the Greek letter " delta". Compared to more traditional wing designs, they provide greater lift, are less prone to
stalling at low speeds, and are more stable even in turbulence. We're not sure what material it's made of, but the design had to be reinforced compared to the original to withstand the increased stresses from flying at higher speeds. This could have been achieved by adding aluminum or carbon fiber components, which are expensive and add to the cost. Most of the drone's other components are built into this huge wing. There is an air intake directly above the engine at the rear of the drone . This is where the engine draws in air before igniting and expelling it. Under the panels at the rear of the wings is the drone's guidance and communication equipment.
This includes modems that allow pilots in Russia to communicate with and control the drone during flight. This also includes SIM cards, similar to those used in mobile phones. By inserting European or Ukrainian SIM cards here, drones can connect to mobile networks in Ukraine to communicate with operators over long distances. Finally, there are the computer processors that control the drone. Despite sanctions, some of the chips found here were manufactured by US companies. Somewhere inside the drone, either in the front of the wing or in the central cylindrical body, there should be a fuel tank.
It supplies fuel to the jet engine and provides the drone's flight range. In the center of the cylindrical fuselage is a large circular section, which, according to Ukrainian intelligence, houses anti- jamming equipment. It should support the flight of the Gerani even when Ukraine broadcasts powerful signals to jam the communication between the drone and the pilot. Closer to the front of the drone, also inside the cylindrical section of the hull, is likely the warhead. One high-fragmentation version is designed to scatter fragments upon explosion, destroying nearby targets. And another thermobaric warhead creates a large fireball and shock wave designed to burn and destroy surrounding targets.
Finally, here, in the bow, is a powerful camera system. This provides the drone with day and night vision, as well as an infrared mode that allows it to track heat sources. It has a 10x optical and 32x digital zoom, allowing the drone pilot to see targets on the ground from maximum flight altitude. Next, we have the Geranium-5 drone, which is a complete redesign of the original Shahed. The characteristics of this device are as follows. It is about 20 feet long, has a wingspan of 10 feet, weighs nearly 2,000 pounds fully equipped, and carries a
warhead weighing up to 200 pounds. It has a cruising speed of 280 mph, a maximum speed of 370 mph, can climb to an altitude of 20,000 feet, and has an estimated range of nearly 600 miles. This makes it bigger, heavier and faster than the Geranium-4, and also means it can fly further, higher and carries a more powerful explosive. What about the cost? Approximately $115,000, which is actually a bit cheaper. If we look closer, we can understand how this is possible. In the rear of the Geranium-5, we find the same Chinese-made turbojet engine as in the Geranium-4, which provides this drone with speed and
altitude. On either side of the engine are much smaller wings with flaps on the trailing edges to aid in steering. They also have vertical stabilizers at their ends for stability, and, like the Geran-4, they are equipped with antennas that amplify the signal of nearby drones. Under the tail section is the starter motor. This is a rocket booster that helps Gerani-5 rise into the air, where the main engine takes over control. In front of it is the main building. The massive delta wings are gone, instead we see just one long cylindrical section. Inside is most of the same communications and navigation equipment as the Geran-4. SIM cards, modems and computer processors.
Somewhere in the middle of the hull there should be a fuel tank that powers the engine. And under it are straight wings. They create lift and also have flaps on the trailing edges for control. In front of them is the warhead section. We believe that the Geran-5 is equipped with a high-explosive fragmentation charge that destroys targets upon impact. In front, closer to the nose of the drone, is the same anti-obstacle system as in the middle part of the Gerani-4. And, as far as we know, there is no camera system in the nose. If we go back to the recordings, we will see everything I just talked about, straight from the battlefields of Ukraine. Here we have a Geran-4 drone in the sky somewhere over
Ukraine, carrying out an attack. At first glance, it looks like a regular Shahed drone. It has a distinctive delta wing shape, a narrow nose at the front, and stabilizers at the wingtips. But as soon as the camera zooms in on the image, we see that it is actually an improved version of the Geranium-4. A Chinese jet engine is clearly visible at the rear of the drone. You can also see the manipulators on the sides that I talked about earlier. It's hard to tell from this angle, but it looks like the jet nozzle is pointing sideways, which is what drives the drone.
You can also see mesh antennas attached to the stabilizers. One is directed upwards, and the other is directed downwards. In the front, you can see that the lower part of the nose fairing has been removed, and there is a round object inside. This is almost certainly the camera system we talked about earlier. You can also see the flaps on the trailing edges of the wings and the servos I mentioned that move them up and down for additional control. Videos of Gerani-5 are harder to find , but here's a short clip from the Victory Parade in Russia in 2026. Here you can see the tail section with short wings and flaps for control, as well as stabilizers at their ends.
Here you see the same Chinese turbojet engine that we saw on the Geran-4, and below is the main straight wing, also equipped with flaps and servos for maneuverability. We can't clearly see the rocket engine from below, but here we can see the drone launching into the air. If you look closely, you can see the section falling off before full flight, and we believe that is where this rocket engine is located. So how does the Geranium-5 manage to outperform the Geranium-4 in range, altitude, and payload while having a lower cost? And why build any of these drones at all?
The answer to the first question lies in the form of "Gerani-5". The original design of the Shahed's delta wing was designed to provide stability at low speeds, as it was propelled by a pushing propeller, which was the only speed it could reach. But replacing that propeller with a jet engine changes the calculations. At high speeds, the delta wing ceases to be an advantage and begins to create problems. Speed itself provides stability, so a delta wing no longer makes a drone more stable, but only makes it heavier, reducing its flight range and increasing its cost of production.
Therefore, the Russians decided to abandon the original design in favor of another, completely different weapon, designed for long-term flight at high speeds. This is the Kh-101, one of Russia's most advanced cruise missiles, and you can see how it looks much more like the Geran-5 than the Geran-4. The long, thin fuselage makes it more aerodynamic, and the much smaller wings reduce weight, which increases flight range. Less weight means less fuel, which frees up space inside for payloads like explosives. The problem with weapons like the X-101 is that
it is very expensive and difficult to manufacture due to the large number of high-tech components. The Geran-5 doesn't have that problem, because, as we just saw, despite its cruise missile shape, it's stuffed with drone parts. So, in Geranium-5, Russia has taken an approach that combines the best of both worlds. The aerodynamic efficiency of a cruise missile at the cost of a drone. However, this raises an even more important question. Why was the original "Shahed" even remade? In short, the reason is that Ukraine has learned to shoot down the "Shaheeds" very, very well. Immediately before the mass use of jet versions, Kyiv claimed approximately 95% of successful interceptions of the Shaheds. This was achieved through a combination of high and low
technology. A high-tech solution has been interceptor drones such as the Sting. And the low-tech solution is fighters with Soviet anti-aircraft guns mounted on pickup trucks, who fired at the drones from the ground. This is hardly a complete picture of Ukrainian air defense, but the point is that Kyiv has been shooting down hundreds of Shaheds almost every night at a cost that is only a fraction of the cost of producing the drones themselves. Meanwhile, Russia spent millions of dollars on each Shahed salvo, causing only a few hundred thousand dollars in damage.
This is what prompted the transition to jet-powered "Gerani". Flying at a much higher speed than the original Shahed means that Ukrainian interceptor drones can no longer keep up with them. And flying at a higher altitude makes them inaccessible to such means as anti-aircraft guns. Again, this is oversimplified, but the result was that Ukraine's target interception rate dropped from 95% to 55%. Instead of shooting down almost all Russian drones every night, Kyiv is now only destroying about half of them. This means that Russia is doing significantly more damage with less cost, even if each individual drone costs more.
As we mentioned earlier, jet drones sacrifice range for speed and altitude. They can fly higher and faster than the Shahed, but not as far. Therefore, at least for now, these jet versions are mostly used for attacks on Ukrainian cities located near Russia. Unfortunately, this also applies to the capital, Kyiv, which is hit almost every night by hundreds of such devices. Russia says it produces about 3,000 Geran-4 and Geran-5 per month at its giant drone factory in Yelabuga, in remote Tatarstan. So it will be able to maintain this intensity of attacks in the near future. However, Ukraine is far from defenseless. Not all of its old air defense equipment is useless against jet drones.
Fighters can easily catch up with them and hit them with air-to-air missiles. It's an expensive solution, but at least it works. A cheaper way is to shoot them down with cannons, but that is extremely dangerous. Some types of electronic warfare are also reportedly effective against these drones, despite their anti-jamming capabilities. The most promising technology, however, is to simply equip interceptor drones with jet engines so that they can catch up with the new Geranis. Several such models were developed in record time, and they have already been successfully used in combat.
One of them, Eleksa Spatium, is already in service with the Armed Forces of Ukraine, and another, a Ukrainian-British development called Griffin, has also already shot down the Geranium in combat. Meanwhile, other interceptor drones retain the quadcopter design and simply increase battery power to fly faster. The Sting we mentioned earlier was upgraded to the Sting S version and was successfully used in combat, as was the German-Ukrainian development called SPYS. It is inevitable that Ukraine will defend itself against Russia's new weapons in more than one way. All of these new drones will probably come in handy at some point. The main task now will be to increase production so that Ukraine can respond to the number of
Shahed missiles fired at it with interceptors, as well as to reduce costs so that each interceptor costs less than the drone it shoots down. Drone warfare is characterized by rapid technological innovation. It is a battle of moves and countermoves, in which one side gains an advantage by implementing something new before the opponent responds and that window of opportunity closes. Success in drone warfare means keeping your windows of opportunity open for as long as possible, while your opponent's windows close before they can do any real damage to you. Only time will tell whether Ukraine can close this window of opportunity for Russia before serious damage is done. It
is certainly promising that countermeasures were deployed almost immediately after Moscow began carrying out massive jet drone attacks. But at least for now the advantage remains with the Russians. And once again, the capital of Ukraine finds itself vulnerable to attacks. The recording stops here, but we'll be back soon to show you the next episode of "Wars on Film."
