Russian Jet-Powered Shahed Drones Use UK, Chinese, and German Components, Ukrainian Intelligence Reveals

Russian jet-powered Shahed drones are built with critical components sourced from the United States, China, Switzerland, and several other countries, according to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on September 16.

An analysis of the Geran-3—a Russian copy of Iran’s Shahed-238—revealed that out of 45 identified components, half were manufactured in the United States. The rest include eight from Chinese companies, seven Swiss-made, three German, two British, and one Japanese.

According to HUR, the drone is powered by a Chinese Telefly JT80 turbojet engine, enabling speeds of 300–370 km/h and a range of up to 1,000 km. Ukrainian intelligence notes that Russia often pushes the Geran-3 to maximum velocity in zones covered by Ukraine’s air defense and electronic warfare, during drone-interceptor engagements, and in the terminal phase of flight as the UAV dives toward its target.

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War in Ukraine

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The internal layout of the Geran-3 is nearly identical to earlier gasoline-powered Geran-2 models. It carries an inertial navigation system, an air pressure measurement unit, a power distribution unit, and other electronic modules.

To resist jamming, the drone is fitted with the Kometa-M12, a 12-element adaptive antenna array designed to shield satellite navigation. The Geran-3 also incorporates a camera and video transmission system originally used in the Geran-2.

Earlier, it was reported that Moscow now manufactures around 30,000 one-way attack drones annually and is preparing to double that output by 2026.

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