US news outlet Politico reported that Moscow has deployed a new generation of high-speed attack drones powered by jet engines, significantly challenging Ukraine’s air defense systems and forcing Kyiv into a race to develop an effective countermeasure before winter sets in.
اضافة اعلان
Russian Advances Change the Battlefield
Politico reported a qualitative shift in Russia’s aerial arsenal, with Moscow upgrading its Geran-series drones, originally based on Iran’s Shahed drones.
The newer Geran-5 can reach speeds of up to 600 kilometers per hour, three times faster than the Geran-2, which had a top speed of around 200 kilometers per hour.
The advances go beyond speed. The new drones fly at higher altitudes and have a lower thermal signature, narrowing the window available for detection and interception.
According to Ukrainian military intelligence cited by Politico, Russia is producing around 3,000 drones of this type each month. Moscow has also changed how it deploys them, targeting passenger trains, warehouses, logistics routes, residential areas and shopping centers in what Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy has described as systematic “terror” carried out “day and night.”
The Cost Challenge
Ukraine’s Defense Minister Yevhen Khmara told Politico on the sidelines of a meeting of Kyiv’s allies that the core problem is not merely technological but also economic.
Most Ukrainian interceptor drones have top speeds of no more than 300 kilometers per hour, leaving them unable to catch the Geran-5. This forces the Ukrainian military to use expensive fighter aircraft and missiles to intercept drones that cost only a fraction of the price of the ammunition used against them.
Andrii Zahorodniuk, a former Ukrainian defense minister and head of the Centre for Defence Strategies, warned Politico that this attrition is depleting defensive stocks originally intended to counter the more destructive ballistic and cruise missiles.
He said Ukraine had become proficient at intercepting the older generation of drones before Moscow caught it off guard with this technological leap.
Companies Race to Find a Solution
More than 60 Ukrainian defense companies are now competing to develop effective interceptors, Khmara said, adding that some of these systems have already entered combat testing.
According to the government-backed Brave1 defense innovation platform, Ukraine is pursuing four parallel technological approaches, including jet-powered drones, electric interceptors equipped with jet engines, and high-speed quadcopters capable of reaching 550 kilometers per hour to intercept Geran-3 variants, as well as direct-engagement interception technologies.
However, Oleksii Babenko, CEO of Vyriy Industries, told Politico that the Geran-5 requires an entirely different system based on jet or rocket propulsion.
He said his company and its partner, Noctis, unveiled a high-speed interceptor in June that has shown promising results in field trials.
Babenko acknowledged that the defense industry was not prepared for the technological leap, saying the challenge includes a shortage of engineers and limited funding.
He said the short-term cost would be the use of more expensive means for the coming weeks, until the solutions mature and enter large-scale production.
Despite the difficulties, Brave1 expressed confidence that Ukraine would overcome the challenge, hinting that unpleasant surprises could await Russia in the near future.
