Geran-3
Faster, heavier next-generation OWA drone
The turbojet variant of the Geran family: significantly faster and heavier than the propeller-driven Geran-2, with a Chinese-made engine. First seen in early 2024 (TWZ) or early 2025 (Meduza); used at scale since mid-2026.
Learn more in the Drone Academy →Dimensionsfor imagery analysis
- Drone (L × span)
- 3.5 × 2.5 m — same as Shahed-136 per WEG; uncertain
- Max. take-off weight
- 240 kg
- Dimension source
- US Army TRADOC Worldwide Equipment Guide (ODIN)
Key data
- Altitude
- up to ~9.1 km (~30,000 ft)
- Speed
- cruise ~300–370 km/h (JT80) · 550–600 km/h in older sources, unconfirmed
- Range
- up to 1,000 km
- Weight
- ~300 kg (6× the Geran-2)
Relevance
- Engine
- Chinese Telefly JT80 turbojet; 45–50 foreign parts in total
- Effect
- Considerably harder to intercept than the propeller-driven Geran-2. Data point 19–20 Oct 2026: according to Ukraine's Air Force, 73 of 105 jet Shaheds were downed or jammed (~70%), roughly the same as that night's overall rate (115 of 165) — source: Ukrainska Pravda / ArmyInform, RU Mil Tracker e-20261020-01, e-20261020-s01. Topwar describes an engagement in Rivne Oblast on 8 Oct 2026 in which machine guns fired first and an Igla MANPADS finished off a jet Geran — source: e-20261020-s08 (single source). Second data point 22–23 Oct 2026: of 176 drones launched, 92 were jet-powered according to ArmyInform, and according to the Air Force 68 jet Shaheds were among the 140 drones neutralised (~74% of the jet drones stopped) — source: Ukrainska Pravda / ArmyInform, RU Mil Tracker e-20261024-10, e-20261024-s05. Air Force spokesman Yurii Ihnat puts the downing rate at ~60% for jet drones against ~90–95% for other types; Denmark rushed over 50,000 rounds of 20 mm ammunition for the F-16 cannons, as fighters account for 55–60% of jet-Shahed intercepts according to Zelensky — source: e-20261024-09. The Air Force does not distinguish the Geran-3 from later jet variants; not independently confirmed
- Speed revised (30 Sep 2026)
- The card previously gave 550–600 km/h (dive up to ~700 km/h). Five independent sources now give a cruise speed of ~300–370 km/h for the JT80-powered Geran-3: Defence Blog/Defense Express (Aug. 2026, ~370 km/h), topwar (Sep. 2026), RUSI (Sep. 2026), and The War Zone and Meduza (29 Sep 2026, 300–350 km/h) — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260930-03. The higher figures probably belong to the Geran-4/-5 or to diving flight. A Russian analysis (topwar, 4 Sep. 2026, single source) gives Geran-3 ~350 km/h / 500–550 km, Geran-4 300–500 km/h / ~450 km, Geran-5 450–600 km/h / ~950 km — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260904-s01; not independently verified, listed only as a data point
- Geran-4 speed data point (claim, 27 Sep 2026)
- Ukrainian analyst Oleksandr Kovalenko (Information Resistance) saw a Geran near Odesa accelerate from ~250 to ~800 km/h and then fly at ~500 km/h, and suspects a test of a new jet engine on a Geran-4 variant. A single observation, relayed by a Russian outlet; unconfirmed and not to be adopted as a card value — source: RU Mil Tracker e-20260928-s10 (topwar / today.ua)
- Geran-4
- Separate card since 30 Sep 2026 — see the Geran-4 card (delta wing, TF-TJ2000A)
- Geran-5
- Separate card since 27 Sep. 2026 — see the Geran-5 card (per Polish analysis a different airframe, based on Iran's Karrar)
- RUSI data point (Bronk, 23 Sep 2026)
- According to RUSI, jet-powered Gerans (Geran-3/-4) cruise at roughly 350–500 km/h — a second source for the lower cruise speed in the discrepancy note above. Operators reportedly need ~300 knots to intercept them; a Ukrainian volunteer group shoots them down with a PC-9 turboprop carrying Minigun pods (diving, day and night). Source: RUSI commentary 'Options for a NATO Multinational Drone-Interception Squadron', via Defense Express; RU Mil Tracker e-20260926-s05 — PC-9 use reported by RUSI only
- Share in salvos (Oct. 2026)
- Jet Gerans now make up a large part of the waves. On the night of 9-10 Oct. 2026, 110 of 160 drones were jet-powered Shaheds, and on 10 Oct. one entered Lviv's airspace for the first time (destroyed near the city). In September 2026 Ukraine says it destroyed 1,935 Shahed-238s (jet) against 2,722 Shahed-131/136s (propeller). Ukraine's Air Force does not separate the Geran-3 from the later jet variants, so these figures cover the whole jet family — source: Ukrainska Pravda and ArmyInform, RU Mil Tracker e-20261011-01, e-20261011-s01; Ukrainian figures, not independently verified
News archive 15
Analysed reports from the RU Mil Tracker about this system, newest first. Archive since 2026-07-17.
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«Сили оборони перехопили за ніч 119 ворожих БПЛА, 64 з яких — реактивні» (ArmyInform: 'Defence Forces intercepted 119 enemy UAVs overnight, 64 of them jet-powered')
On the night of 24–25 October Russia attacked Ukraine with 153 Shahed-type strike drones, 92 of them jet-powered, together with S8000 "Banderol/Dan-T", Gerbera and "Parodiya" decoy drones, ArmyInform reports, citing the Ukrainian Air Force. As of 08:00, air defence had shot down or suppressed 119 Shahed-type, Gerbera and other drones, 64 of them jet-powered…
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«Уночі підрозділи ППО знешкодили 50 реактивних дронів» (ArmyInform: 'Air defence units neutralised 50 jet-powered drones overnight')
On the night of 23–24 October Russia launched 126 strike drones at Ukraine – Shahed-type, S8000 "Banderol/Dan-T", Gerbera and "Parodiya" decoy drones – ArmyInform reports, citing the Ukrainian Air Force. As of 08:00, air defence had shot down or suppressed 101 drones, including 50 jet-powered Shahed-type drones, plus S8000, Gerbera and other types. Hits wer…
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Romanian F-16s shoot down two jet-powered drones believed to be Russia's new Geran-4; analyst warns European NATO is not ready for swarms of such low-cost cruise missiles
Romanian F-16 fighters shot down two jet-powered Geran-family drones over Romania's territorial waters in the Black Sea on 17 October 2026, the Romanian Defence Ministry said. Interim Defence Minister Radu Miruță said the drones flew at about 450 km/h and were likely Geran-4s, which would make them the first of that type Romania has downed. The identificati…
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Russia launches 165 drones overnight, 105 of them jet-powered; strikes hit Izium and a Lviv Oblast energy facility
According to Ukraine's Air Force, as reported by Ukrainska Pravda, Russia attacked Ukraine with 165 drones on the night of 19–20 October, starting at 18:00 on 19 October. No fewer than 105 of them were jet-powered. The package consisted of Shahed and Gerbera attack drones, S-8000 Banderol/Dan-T drone- and air-launched cruise missiles, and Parodiya decoys, l…
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Ukraine says Russia is developing 800 km/h jet drones, as jet-powered Gerans are already shot down at only about 55 percent versus over 90 percent for propeller Shaheds
Russia is developing jet-powered attack drones that fly at 800 km/h, and Ukraine is already looking for ways to counter them, Yevhenii Khmara, identified by Euromaidan Press as Ukraine's defence minister, told Glavcom. The ministry has asked manufacturers for proposals and prototypes. Russia's current jet-powered Gerans (among them the Geran-3, one of which…
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Downed Geran-4 drones carry a 32-element, likely Alabuga-made anti-jam GNSS antenna, while Geran-4 and Geran-5 also get camera-based terrain navigation
A 32-element CRPA (Controlled Radiation Pattern Antenna) has been found in a Geran-4 strike drone shot down over Ukraine, Militarnyi reports, citing an analysis by The Insider of photos and videos of wreckage; the photos, taken in September 2026, are credited to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov. The unit is effectively two 16-element antennas in one housing: 16 e…
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Russia develops jet-powered versions of the Garpiya strike drone; NTV footage also shows a KamAZ-based mobile launcher
Russia has developed a jet-powered version of the Garpiya strike drone, Militarnyi reports, based on a report by Russian state broadcaster NTV that was highlighted by the Telegram channel Colonel GSh. The footage shows two jet variants. One is a transitional version that puts a jet engine in the existing piston-engine fuselage, similar to the Geran-3. The o…
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Russia upgrades the Geran-4 jet drone with a shaped-charge cutting warhead and 'whisker' contact fuze against power lines and bridges; HUR details a US-made magnetometer, 'Susanin' optical navigation and an Alabuga-built engine
According to Serhii "Flash" Beskrestnov, adviser to the Ukrainian President on defence technology, Russia on 30 September used for the first time a special shaped-charge cutting payload (KRSN) on a jet-powered strike drone, designed to destroy high-voltage transmission towers and steel bridge structures. Militarnyi, citing photos published by Defense Expres…
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Putin says Ukraine has 'no antidote' to jet-powered Gerans as Russia fields Geran-3/4/5; 1020th AA Regiment downs a Geran-5 at 425 km/h
Speaking at the Cultural Forum, Vladimir Putin claimed Ukraine was seeking an 'air ceasefire' because it cannot cope with Russia's new jet-powered Geran drones: 'At least for now, they have no way to counter them — no antidote.' Meduza sets out the family behind the claim. The Geran-3 (first jet variant; Meduza dates it to early 2025, TWZ to early 2024) rou…
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Ukraine Intercepts 55% of russia's Jet-Powered Shahed Drones as New Countermeasures Enter Combat
According to Defense Express, Russia launched more than 2,730 jet-powered Shahed-type drones against Ukraine in September alone. Ukrainian forces destroyed or suppressed more than 1,500 of them, an effectiveness of roughly 55%; that figure counts both drones that were physically shot down and those whose attacks were disrupted in other ways, which includes…
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Ракета или дрон: в польской прессе оценили «Герань-5»
Voennoye Obozreniye (topwar.ru) relays an assessment by the Polish outlet Defence24 of Russia's jet-powered Geran-5, asking whether it is a drone or a cruise missile. According to Defence24, the Geran-5 is not a Shahed-136/238 derivative but is based on the Iranian Karrar jet drone, powered by a commercial Chinese Telefly TF-TJ2000A turbojet, with a reporte…
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Russia strikes Kyiv in overnight, daytime and evening drone waves on 25 September; 173 drones, over 50 of them jet-powered, launched the following night
Russia struck Kyiv in several separate drone waves on 25 September rather than in a single night-time raid. Overnight and into the morning, drones hit high-rise residential buildings in the Solomianskyi and Pecherskyi districts (one at fourth-floor level, another between the seventh and tenth floors), killing a 14-year-old, Meduza reported, citing Mayor Vit…
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RUSI Reports That Ukraine Uses PC-9 Aircraft Armed with Miniguns to Shoot Down Shahed Drones
Defense Express, citing a RUSI commentary by senior research fellow Justin Bronk, reports that a Ukrainian volunteer group operates at least one Pilatus PC-9 turboprop trainer fitted with pods carrying 7.62mm Minigun machine guns to intercept Russian one-way attack drones. According to RUSI the aircraft has shot down several jet-powered Geran-3/Geran-4 dron…
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Vluchnyk unveils Zorelit v5 interceptor drone, claims 416 km/h against jet-powered Gerans
Ukrainian company Vluchnyk (CEO Stepan Radiboh) has completed internal testing of the Zorelit v5 (also marketed as "Starship"), an interceptor drone purpose-built to down jet-powered Russian attack UAVs. Per Radiboh, the system "has completed all testing and is ready for military use"; Vluchnyk says it is open to direct contracts with military units and, on…
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Russian analysis: 'The Evolution of the Geran Drones — Speed versus Range'
SINGLE SOURCE — Russian state-aligned outlet (topwar.ru, author Kirill Ryabov). The piece is an analytical overview of how Russia's 'Geran' family of loitering munitions has evolved over four years of use, from slow piston-engine aircraft to fast jet-powered variants. Its central claim is an engineering trade-off: gains in speed come at the cost of range. T…