Shahed-238
The Main Directorate of Intelligence of Ukraine (GUR) reported that Russia has begun mass-production of upgraded kamikaze drones Geran-3. Ukrainian intelligence has apparently done a tremendous job revealing Russian military secrets, but Russian military resources revealed new drones weeks ago, and Geran-3 UAVs are already destroying targets all over Ukraine.
The Russian military is setting up production of a reactive analogue of Shahed-238, Geranium-3. Some Russian military sources report that their domestic and Iranian UAVs have a number of similar characteristics, but they were developed independently.
Compared to its predecessor, the Geran-2, the new UAV has greater speed, power, payload and was called ‘Iskander with wings’.
Geran-3 is equipped with a small-sized Tolou-10/13 turbojet twin-circuit engine, providing flight speed of up to 600 km/h and a range of 2,500 km. The jet drone is almost is invisible to Ukrainian radars and cannot be intercepted by Ukrainian mobile air defense groups with anti-aircraft machine guns.
New Gerans have a wingspan of 2.5 m and a length of 3.5 m. The new drone reportedly has an enlarged warhead and weighs about a ton, which allows it to destroy large enemy fortifications.
To enhance its immunity to jamming, the Russians military reportedly used its modern Kometa-M satellite navigation system, which provides a more accurate determination of coordinates.
The Russian military is already using its Geran-3 UAVs for massive strikes strikes throughout Ukraine. Their first strikes were recorded in January 2024.
