Military expert Serhiy Flesh called the Geran-5 an attempt to create a «budget cruise missile» as a response to Ukrainian solutions against the Shahed, which work effectively against slower targets.
Military expert Serhiy Flesh called the Geran-5 an attempt to create a «budget cruise missile» as a response to Ukrainian solutions against the Shahed, which work effectively against slower targets.
According to Sergey «Flash» Bezkrestnov, the Geran-3 jet UAV in real conditions turned out to be not as fast as expected in the Russian Federation: due to the aerodynamics of the hull and fuel consumption, its cruising speed on long routes with a 50 kg warhead, according to his estimate, is within 290-330 km/h. The expert claims that such a speed is «too much» for Ukrainian anti-aircraft drones, so the Russians are looking for a faster and more difficult to intercept option.
The Geran-5 drone, according to Flash, is more similar in shape to a rocket and has other application parameters. He writes that it is capable of carrying a 90 kg warhead to a range of up to 1,000 km, and with a «classic» 50 kg charge — up to 1,500 km, that is, potentially reaching almost any point in the country. Flash separately mentions a speed of 500-600 km/h and believes that this is already unattainable for helicopters and current models of anti-aircraft drones.
Another important point that the expert emphasizes is the possibility of «dropping» the product from a carrier jet. This method, in his opinion, adds range, increases speed in front-line areas and complicates the prediction of launches, because the launch can occur not only from known points. He also mentions a flight altitude of up to 6 km and notes the presence of satellite navigation, and also suggests an active altimeter by analogy with the UMPB-5R.
Flesh attributes the Geran-5 to the line of «budget» solutions that the Russian Federation has already tried to implement before (he mentions the Banderol, the Grom, and the UMPB-5R). In his opinion, the real threat from the Geran-5 will depend on the pace of development of Ukrainian anti-aircraft drones and on how much the production of this system will be justified in terms of price in relation to its combat effectiveness.
Previously, dev.ua wrote about how, after the massive attack on Kyiv on the night of January 9, reports appeared on social networks about the fall of Shahedov due to icing. According to Sergey «Flash» Bezkrestnov, a military engineer and communications expert, this is possible, but under certain conditions.
