Oct. 21 — Russia has reportedly ramped up production of Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet-powered drones to 4,000 per month, producing twice as many of those as the Geran-2 drones, which are equipped with piston engines, reported NV, a Ukrainian media outlet, citing Ukrainian intelligence. 

The Geran series of drones is a Russian modification of the Iranian-made Shahed drone, and the names for them are often used interchangeably.   

Ukrainian intelligence says this shift in production is closely tied to the large number of intercepted, slower-moving aerial targets, including Geran-2 drones. 

Jet-powered Gerans can reach speeds of 400-500 km/h (about 249–310 mph), while the classic Geran drones could reach 180–185 km/h (114mph). The speed of the former makes the drone more difficult for Ukrainian air defenses to intercept.  

According to Militarnyi, a Ukrainian defense media outlet, the Russian defense industry was producing around 3,000 jet-powered Gerans and 2,800 Geran-2 drones per month in August. 

Millitarnyi assumes that Russia increased production of jet-powered drones by one-third. 

Defense Intelligence also said that Russia had already adapted the production lines for jet-powered drones to support further scaling. 

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