Russia’s new drone strategy: How jet-powered Gerans are changing the economics of warfare

Russia’s new drone strategy: How jet-powered Gerans are changing the economics of warfare Throughout August, Russia ramped up its use of jet-powered Geran drones, presenting a formidable challenge to Ukraine's air defenses due to their increased speed. In response, Ukraine is actively pursuing new interceptor missiles to combat this shifting threat. Simultaneously, Russia has been executing complex weekly attacks that combine a variety of weaponry aimed at overwhelming and complicating Ukrainian defense strategies. Russia has significantly stepped up the use of its new jet-powered Geran drones against Ukraine, with the weapons being launched every day throughout August.According to the Ukrainian military data analysed by BBC Verify, Russia's use of the new drones rose sharply in recent months, with 350 jet-powered drone attacks recorded in June, 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August.The new drones can travel at more than 300 mph, significantly faster than Russia's older propeller-driven Geran models, making them harder for Ukrainian air defences to intercept.Ukraine is now seeking to adapt its air-defence systems to the new threat. Maj Gen Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, said Kyiv needs new interceptor missiles capable of matching the speed of the jet-powered drones. Four Ukrainian companies have reportedly begun testing missiles designed to bring down the new Geran variants.Russia's drone campaign is also becoming more complex, with Moscow increasingly combining different types of weapons in the same attacks. According to BBC Verify, Russia is now launching large waves involving conventional drones, faster jet-powered drones, decoy drones and ballistic missiles, with such complex attacks occurring roughly once a week. End of Article