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Ukraine’s Intelligence Reveals Russia’s New Jet-Powered Geran-4 Drone Built to Evade Interceptors
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Russia has begun using a new jet-powered strike drone, designated Geran-4, against Ukraine since May 2026.
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According to Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence Directorate (HUR) on May 25, the new drone was developed as a response to the growing effectiveness of Ukrainian interceptor drones targeting earlier Shahed and Geran variants.
The agency published a detailed technical breakdown of the UAV through the War&Sanctions platform, including an interactive 3D model, internal components, and information on its foreign-made electronics and engines.
HUR stated that Russia previously attempted to create jet-powered variants, known as Geran-3, by adapting the airframe of the propeller-driven Geran-2. However, Ukrainian intelligence said the original structure proved insufficient for sustained high-speed flight and aggressive maneuvering.
To address those limitations, Russian developers reportedly created a redesigned airframe with reinforced construction and improved aerodynamics. According to HUR, the Geran-4 features fixed wings integrated into the central fuselage section and a reduced number of maintenance hatches to decrease aerodynamic drag.
The dimensions of the drone reportedly remain similar to earlier Shahed-type platforms, measuring approximately 3.5 meters in length with a wingspan of 3 meters.
“New airframe ‘Geran-4’ allows active maneuvering at speeds from 300 to 400 km/h, while its reinforced structure withstands significant overloads,” HUR said in its report.
According to the intelligence assessment, the drone can reach speeds of up to 500 km/h, operate at altitudes up to 5,000 meters, and strike targets at distances of up to 450 kilometers.
HUR also reported that investigators identified two Chinese-made turbojet engines used in the platform: the discontinued Telefly LX-WP-160 engine with 160 kg of thrust and the Telefly TF-TJ2000A engine with 200 kg of thrust, which Ukrainian intelligence says was previously identified in the Geran-5 drone.
The drone is reportedly capable of carrying multiple warhead configurations, including 50-kilogram high-explosive fragmentation or thermobaric payloads, as well as a larger 90-kilogram thermobaric warhead.
According to HUR, the onboard control systems and electronic components used in the Geran-4 remain largely identical to systems previously identified in drones produced at Russia’s Alabuga manufacturing facility.
The agency added that test launches of the new UAV were conducted before January 2026 from the “Primorsk” drone testing site in Russia’s Oryol region and from the territory of the former Donetsk airport before combat deployment began in May.
Earlier, Ukraine’s Security Service reported detecting elevated radiation levels on debris from a modified Russian Geran-2 drone downed in the Chernihiv region after investigators identified fragments of an R-60M air-to-air missile containing depleted uranium elements.
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