Russia’s new drone strategy: How jet-powered Gerans are changing the economics of warfare

Russia has significantly stepped up the use of its new jet-powered Geran drones against Ukraine, with the weapons being launched every day throughout August.According to the Ukrainian military data analysed by BBC Verify, Russia's use of the new drones rose sharply in recent months, with 350 jet-powered drone attacks recorded in June, 1,600 in July and 2,800 in August.The new drones can travel at more than 300 mph, significantly faster than Russia's older propeller-driven Geran models, making them harder for Ukrainian air defences to intercept.Ukraine is now seeking to adapt its air-defence systems to the new threat. Maj Gen Vadym Skibitskyi, deputy head of Ukraine's military intelligence, said Kyiv needs new interceptor missiles capable of matching the speed of the jet-powered drones. Four Ukrainian companies have reportedly begun testing missiles designed to bring down the new Geran variants.Russia's drone campaign is also becoming more complex, with Moscow increasingly combining different types of weapons in the same attacks. According to BBC Verify, Russia is now launching large waves involving conventional drones, faster jet-powered drones, decoy drones and ballistic missiles, with such complex attacks occurring roughly once a week.The strategy behind Russia’s new drone strategyRussia's new jet-powered Geran drones are emerging as a middle ground between cheap but slow propeller-driven drones and fast but expensive cruise missiles. By adding turbojet engines, Russia has increased the speed of the drones while retaining the ability to produce them at a fraction of the cost of most cruise missiles.The difference is important for air defence. Conventional propeller-driven drones are relatively slow, giving defenders more time to detect and engage them. Cruise missiles are much faster and harder to intercept, but their high cost limits the numbers that can be used in sustained attacks. Jet-powered drones seek to combine the speed advantage of missiles with the mass-production economics of drones.The newer Geran variants can travel at more than 480 km/h, according to the BBC. That higher speed reduces Ukraine's reaction time and can make some cheaper interception methods less effective.Russia does not need these drones to match cruise missiles in capability; it needs them to be cheap enough to launch in large numbers and fast enough to demand more expensive defensive responses.This becomes even more significant when Moscow combines jet-powered drones, conventional drones, decoys and ballistic or cruise missiles in the same attack. The aim is to saturate Ukraine's air defences while forcing Kyiv to decide where to spend its most valuable interceptor.Russia's emerging strategy is therefore not simply about building a faster drone. It is about creating a weapon that sits in the economic space between the drone and the cruise missile