Russian Geran jet-powered drones have begun reaching western Ukraine after modifications to their configuration, Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yuriy Ihnat told the news outlet RBC-Ukraine.
Speaking in an interview with the Ukrainian publication, Ihnat said the Russian unmanned aircraft are now reaching the Lviv and Rivne regions. He noted that reducing the weight of the warhead and increasing the fuel load makes it possible to significantly increase their flight range.
Ihnat also discussed additional missions for the jet-powered drones beyond carrying explosive payloads. According to the spokesperson, a Geran aircraft configured without a warhead could be used to carry out reconnaissance near the western border of Ukraine.
Speaking to RBC-Ukraine, the Air Force representative emphasised that the Russian Armed Forces are testing long-range versions of the jet-powered drones. He added that Ukrainian forces had not seen cases of the aircraft flying that far into the country before.
Altitude changes and 1,500-kilometre flight range
In October, the Telegram channel Voennaya Khronika also addressed the extended reach of the Geran series. The channel suggested that the record range of the drones was linked to operational changes in altitude, and reported that a jet-powered drone flew about 1,500 kilometres during one of the attacks.
The Air Force of the Armed Forces of Ukraine tracks aerial threats across the country's airspace and coordinates its air defence network, while RBC-Ukraine is a major Ukrainian news agency based in Kyiv. The Lviv and Rivne regions sit in western Ukraine, hundreds of kilometres from the front lines. Lviv Oblast borders Poland on Ukraine's western frontier, and Rivne Oblast lies in the north-west along the border with Belarus.
Propulsion and payload in the Geran series
Russia uses the Geran designation, which translates as Geranium in Russian, for unmanned aerial vehicles deployed by its armed forces during the conflict in Ukraine. Earlier models in the family, the Geran-1 and Geran-2, were propeller-driven loitering munitions powered by piston engines and built for one-way strikes against ground targets.
Jet-powered models replace the piston engine and propeller with a compact turbojet, increasing the speed of the aircraft in flight. Because a turbojet engine consumes more fuel than a piston engine of comparable size, total flight distance depends on the balance between payload weight, fuel volume, and altitude. Reducing or removing the explosive warhead frees up weight capacity for extra fuel tanks, while flying at different altitudes alters air resistance and fuel consumption.
