"Geranium" Drone Rapid Iteration Enhances Combat Capability

Reference News Network reported on September 21 According to the Russian newspaper "Izvestia" website on September 6, Russia has intensified the use of a new generation of unmanned attack aircraft in the Ukraine conflict—the jet-powered "Geranium"-5. It is reported that its maximum speed can reach 700 to 800 kilometers per hour, making infantry units, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, helicopters, and unmanned interceptors deployed against it ineffective. This has changed the balance of air power, making the Russian military's mixed airstrikes against enemy targets more effective.

Since 2022, our country has actively developed winged drones and cruise missiles. The production and deployment of such equipment in inland areas have achieved a high level of import substitution as of today. Considering the high demand for usage, we have established industrial bases capable of supplying dozens or even hundreds of pieces of equipment to the front lines daily. Large-scale production has directly driven the evolution of the project: design engineers have begun to continuously upgrade the basic models.

The "Geranium"-1 and "Geranium"-2 adopt a flying wing aerodynamic layout and are equipped with smaller piston engines. Their main advantage lies in their large numbers, allowing them to execute synchronized attacks from different directions, which enables them to suppress and break through air defense systems. This compensates for the disadvantage of their lighter warhead weight.

However, the "Geranium"-2 also has obvious weaknesses; its slower speed makes it an easy target for helicopters, self-propelled anti-aircraft guns, and even large-caliber machine guns. This has prompted developers to create a more powerful jet-powered version.

The "Geranium"-3, equipped with a turbojet engine, has emerged, solving the vulnerability issue. This drone has a range of 400 to 500 kilometers, a speed of 450 to 500 kilometers per hour, and carries an enhanced warhead weighing about 90 kilograms. Its efficient delta wing and powerful engine allow it to easily evade pursuit from helicopters and mobile fire groups, significantly reducing losses from enemy ground fire.

The next logical step is to upgrade the guidance and control systems, which has been achieved in the "Geranium"-4. Earlier versions of "Geranium" strictly followed pre-set flight paths to known target coordinates. The "Geranium"-4 features an upgraded airframe, with a range of 550 to 960 kilometers, a speed of 350 to 500 kilometers per hour, and a warhead weight of 50 kilograms. This drone is equipped with an electro-optical station with computer vision and maintains stable communication with the operator to adjust the flight path in real-time. This enables it to perform integrated reconnaissance and strike missions and selectively destroy targets.

The integrated machine vision algorithms allow the drone to autonomously capture and track targets even in the event of signal interruption. This intelligent drone can accurately strike moving weaponry: armored vehicles, tanks, speedboats, locomotives, and air defense systems.

However, combat experience shows that to break through the most fortified defenses, faster speeds are needed. The research result is the latest model, the "Geranium"-5—a completely redesigned aircraft. Its airframe resembles that of a classic cruise missile, with a range of 500 to 600 kilometers, a warhead weight of about 90 kilograms, and a speed of 500 to 600 kilometers per hour (some sources claim it can reach 700 to 800 kilometers).

The emergence of the fifth-generation model has forced the Ukrainian military command to acknowledge a severe lack of air-to-air missiles, and that the unmanned interceptors previously used against earlier generations of "Geranium" are now useless.

The evolution of the "Geranium" series of drones clearly demonstrates that the Russian defense industrial complex can quickly adapt to the challenges posed by modern conflicts. From simple "buzzers" equipped with piston engines to jet-powered "cruise missiles" with elements of artificial intelligence, this technological evolution, though not long in duration, has fundamentally changed the balance of air power. (Translation/He Yingjun)