Russia is modifying its Shahid drones to make them faster
Russia is restructuring its production of attack drones and is focusing on the new turbojet-powered “Geran-4” and “Geran-5” models. They are already being used in attacks on Ukraine, and their higher speed is forcing the Ukrainian military to find new ways to intercept them.
According to him, the Russian military-industrial complex plans to produce about 11,000 attack drones of various types in August. At the same time, Russia slightly reduced the frequency of drone launches in July.
The reason, according to Skibitsky, lies in the restructuring of production itself. The Russians are reorganizing it to produce more of the new turbojet-powered drones. “They are retooling production with a focus on the turbojet-powered ‘Geran-4’ and ‘Geran-5,’” said the GUR representative. This is not just about future plans. The new drones are already being used in Russian attacks.
According to Skibitsky, during one of the recent strikes, half of all the drones launched were turbojet-powered. “In one of the recent attacks, 50% were already turbojet drones,” said the major general.
Why Russia Is Switching to New Drones
The Main Intelligence Directorate explains that one of the reasons for the change in Russian tactics is the successful operation of Ukrainian interception systems. The Ukrainian military has learned to effectively shoot down standard “Geran-2” drones using interceptors. Therefore, Russia is trying to complicate their work and is using faster drones.
“The enemy is switching to the ‘Geran-4/5’ because we’re successfully taking out the ‘Geran-2’ with our interceptors,” Skibitsky explained. The turbojet engine gives the drones greater speed. As a result, there is less time to detect and destroy them.
That is precisely why, according to the GUR representative, Ukraine needs new means to counter such targets. “Now, to deal with them, we need other interceptors with the appropriate speed or small-scale air defense systems,” Skibitsky noted. Thus, Russia is attempting not only to increase the number of attack drones but also to alter their capabilities. At the same time, Moscow continues to ramp up production—in August alone, the Russian defense industry plans to produce about 11,000 attack drones of various types.
For Ukraine, this poses a new challenge for its air defense system. As drone speeds increase, they must be detected more quickly, and systems capable of intercepting the target in time are needed. Major General Vadym Skibitsky, Deputy Chief of the Main Intelligence Directorate of the Ministry of Defense, discussed this in an interview.
As a reminder, on Friday, August 7, a World Health Organization humanitarian warehouse in Dnipro was destroyed as a result of an attack. There were no people on the premises at the time of the strike, and no casualties were reported.
Over the past 24 hours, the occupiers lost 1,130 troops and more than 400 pieces of military equipment.
In the Kherson region, one person was killed and two were wounded as a result of Russian shelling.
