Just recently, when experts were discussing the use of the new Geran-3 jet-powered drone, there were no reliable images of it. On the night of July 30, during an attack on targets in Kyiv, Geran-3 jets were used in a group. Ukrainian Air Force spokesman Yuriy Ihnat reported that the Geran-3 has a speed of over 500 km/h and is capable of maneuvering.
Combat testing of the Geran-3 was conducted more than a year and a half ago, with unknown results. It can be assumed that the identified shortcomings were eliminated during this period.
Geran-2 also did not satisfy the Russian military in many ways and was modernized. Now the body can withstand overloads when diving with a maneuver of up to 400 km/h. The Iranian Shahed is not capable of this. There were other fundamental changes that allowed for a transition to new tactics of use.
In terms of cost and characteristics, the Geran-3 occupies an intermediate position between a UAV and a cruise missile. But it is closer to drones (with a payload of only 90 kg). A speed of over 500 km/h allows it to strike from a short distance with very little reaction time for medium-range anti-aircraft systems or air defense aircraft. Anti-aircraft artillery with radar can hit targets within a radius of 4 km, while the Geran-3 flies at an altitude of up to 8 km.
The Russian army has received a kind of operational-tactical hybrid, which has yet to be evaluated. Its main mystery is the cost and degree of localization of the small turbojet engine. Literally everything depends on this.
The Russian military-industrial complex is capable of manufacturing modern engines for cruise missiles of virtually any complexity. But it cannot make them cheaply. Analogs of the Geran-3 engine are sold on marketplaces for ten thousand dollars—that is the going price in China.
The propeller-driven Geran-2 is a very successful solution from a business point of view. It is several times cheaper than Ukrainian aircraft-type UAVs, which are launched deep into Russia. And they produce many thousands of them per month.
But a mass-produced, inexpensive, small-sized turbojet engine is a task of a completely different level. It is impossible to build such a production facility in less than two years, even with the most active assistance from China. If they learn to build at least a few hundred Geran-3s per month, it will be an outstanding achievement.
In a couple of months, it will be worth summarizing the observations: are the tests continuing, or is the weapon in serial production? This is a new and interesting turn in armament for all the world’s armies.
