Russian military personnel rely on Geranium-3 kamikaze drones, created on the basis of the Iranian Shahed-238 UAV. Over the past year, the Russian Armed Forces have used more than 15,000 of these UAVs. This was written by military expert Brandon J. Weichert in an article for The National Interest.
At the end of 2023, Iran introduced a kamikaze drone with a jet engine Shahed-238, which Russia adapted, creating the "Geranium-3". The new drone is equipped with a Tolou-10/13 turbofan engine.
Weichert emphasized that the speed of the "Geranium-3" is significantly higher compared to previous models. Consequently, the kamikaze drone will reach its target faster and it is more difficult to intercept.
Russian engineers have improved the Shahed-238 by integrating components of Chinese production, including an eight-channel CRP satellite navigation antenna and a Beijing Microelectronics microchip. Thus, they circumvented Western sanctions.
According to the author, only"in the last year Russia launched 15,011 Geranium-type drones." In 2024, the production volume of kamikaze drones reached 440 units per month. The plans for this year included an increase in production to 6,000 units per month, Weichert added.
A "Geranium" with a jet engine is estimated at $150,000 per piece, but it is cheaper than producing a cruise missile. The Iranian-Russian alliance is becoming dangerous for the West.
Read more on the topic:
The Transfer of 10 Tu-95 Bombers to the "Belaya" Airbase Scared the West
Now on home
Director of ZNPP spoke about plans to restore the "Dneprovskaya" line
SMK filed a lawsuit against the Moscow enterprise JSC "MMZ Skorost"
Roscosmos approves final schedule: the first ROS module will go into orbit in 2 years
The test flight will take place in June 2026
Ivan Khamin proposed an engine design with coupled turbines
Aircraft No. 96115 completed a flight from Zhukovsky to Novosibirsk and back
The platform allows you to send short videos to random people and watch other people's video messages
Likhachev spoke at the AtomSkills championship in Yekaterinburg
The General Designer of NPO Mashinostroyeniya was 74 years old
New friction stir welding technology creates strong bimetallic joints without delamination
Patented technology simplifies the production of lightweight and rigid thin-walled structures