The Russians want to install a new engine in the drones and get them up to 700 km/h

Russia is modifying the design of the “Geran-5” jet drone in an effort to increase its speed. The engine, which in previous versions was mounted on a pylon above the fuselage, is now being relocated inside the rear section of the fuselage.

According to aviation expert Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi, Russian designers are thus attempting to accelerate the drone to speeds exceeding 600–700 km/h, with the long-term goal of reaching 700–800 km/h.

Khrapchynsky drew attention to recent photos and videos of downed “Geran-5” variants, which show a noticeable change in the drone’s configuration.

In the early versions, a small Chinese Telefly turbojet engine was mounted openly on top of the pylon. According to the expert, this configuration could operate at speeds of approximately 350–400 km/h, but further increases in speed created aerodynamic problems.

Khrapchynskyi cites two main reasons.

The first is drag. An engine mounted on a pylon creates additional air resistance and effectively acts as an aerodynamic brake. At high speeds, drag increases in proportion to the square of the speed, which largely negates the thrust of a small jet engine.

The second problem is pitch moment. Because the line of thrust is located high above the center of mass, it constantly creates a moment that tilts the drone’s nose downward.

In this situation, the autopilot must constantly compensate for this effect using the elevator controls. This creates additional balancing drag and reduces flight efficiency.

According to an expert’s assessment, moving the engine inside the fuselage allows the thrust line to be aligned with the aircraft’s axis, eliminates the drag from the pylon, and stabilizes the control surfaces.

At the same time, the attempt to increase the “Gerani-5’s” speed comes at a cost.

Khrapchynsky cites reduced flight range as one of the main consequences.

Placing the engine inside the fuselage requires additional space for the engine compartment, air ducts, and thermal insulation. This reduces the volume available for fuel.

According to the expert, this issue is particularly significant due to the jet engine’s high fuel consumption, which could significantly limit the drone’s operational range.

There is also a technical challenge. The exhaust from a jet engine can reach temperatures of about 700 degrees.

Therefore, as Khrapchynskyi explains, installing such an engine inside a composite fuselage requires metal heat shields, thermal insulation, and a forced-ventilation system.

As a result, the design becomes more complex and more expensive to manufacture.

According to Khrapchynsky, the redesign of the “Gerani-5” may be linked to the development of Ukrainian interceptor drones.

The expert draws attention to footage of an attack during which a jet-powered drone attempted to catch up with a high-speed quadcopter-type interceptor drone from the company “Dyki Shershni.” This drone was created specifically to combat Russian jet-powered UAVs.

According to Khrapchynskyi, the first successful deployments have shown that targets traveling at speeds of 400–450 km/h can be engaged in the rear hemisphere even using this class of interceptors.

At the same time, the expert notes that jet-powered drones are not yet being shot down on a massive or systematic scale, as this capability is still in the early stages of development and scaling up.

However, in his opinion, the Russian side is already taking the emergence of this new threat into account. If a jet-powered drone remains in the speed range of up to 500 km/h, it could become an accessible target for Ukraine’s less expensive interceptor drones.

That is precisely why, Khrapchynsky believes, the Russians may attempt to increase speeds to 700–800 km/h.

According to the expert’s assessment, such a speed would pose a serious physical barrier for interceptor drones.

To catch up with a target flying at 700–800 km/h—especially during a tail chase—the interceptor would have to reach speeds exceeding 900 km/h.

According to Khrapchynsky, this would require a different aerodynamic design, more powerful turbojet engines, and high-speed optics capable of rapidly processing images and ensuring guidance with minimal delay.

In the expert’s view, the Russian side’s goal is to remove the “Geran-5” from the engagement range of cheaper interceptor drones and force Ukraine to use more expensive missiles from air defense systems to destroy them.

At the same time, Khrapchynsky believes that increasing the speed could create new problems for Russian industry.

A more complex design, reduced fuel capacity, the need for additional thermal protection, and higher production costs could affect the mass production and cost of such drones.

Thus, in an effort to increase the speed of the “Geran-5” and outpace Ukrainian interceptor drones, Russian designers may end up with a more complex and expensive jet-powered drone with a shorter range.

This was reported by Anatoliy Khrapchynskyi. 

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U.S. Ambassador to NATO Matthew Whitaker stated that Russia’s hybrid actions are primarily aimed at forcing allies to abandon further support for Ukraine. According to him, the response to such actions should be to increase aid to Kyiv.