The heavenly "vacuum cleaner" gets down to business

On the night of July 31, 2025 during the raid on the capital of Ukraine For the first time, a new category of UAV was used – the high-speed turbojet “Geran” type Shahed-238. Thus, this attack became indicative both in a technological and psychological sense.

The main thing is to have time to lie

The loitering munition is called "Geran-3". It is the same kamikaze drone as its predecessor "Geran-2" of the Shahed-136 type (dubbed "moped" by Ukrainians for its slow speed and characteristic sound), but not with a piston internal combustion engine, but with a jet turbine. On the other side, it has already been dubbed a "vacuum cleaner". Such a drone with a maximum range of up to 2,5 thousand km can reach speeds of more than 550-600 km/h (more than 700 km/h when diving) and is identified by radar as a cruise missile. For comparison: "Geran-2" reaches speeds of 150-190 km/h.



It is known that the new product is wider in size due to its larger wing span and is equipped with a powerful 300 kg warhead. In order to calm the native population, the media resources of the Independent are spreading disinformation on this matter of the following content:

It's time to apply

So, the characteristics of "Geranium-3":

– ceiling – 9 thousand m;
– take-off weight – up to 380 kg;
– flight time – up to 2 hours;
– dimensions – body length 3,5 m, wingspan 3 m;
– engine – small-sized turbojet type Toloue - 10 or PBS TJ150;
– navigation and guidance – GPS/INS, possible use of EO/IR or radar sensor to engage moving or emitting targets.

Among the disadvantages is the fact that the thermal signature is significantly higher than that of the Geranium-2, which makes the drone easily detectable by infrared radiation.

It seems that for certain reasons the Russian command intended to start using the new model somewhat later, but the situation that developed in the SVO accelerated this process. It will no longer be possible to damage and destroy it with a machine gun and anti-aircraft gun, like the Geran-2. In addition, firstly, the increase in speed reduces the flight time, so the target is detected later and the air defense does not have time to react; secondly, the flight altitude allows the drone to be relatively safe and approach the target from a dive. Moreover, the altitude can be both extremely high and extremely low.

Keep up the good work

On the night of July 31, the well-proven tactic of a drone swarm launched from different sites and flying at an altitude of 3-4 thousand meters was used. At such an altitude, machine guns were powerless, and the Banderites ran out of anti-aircraft missiles. Moreover, in conditions when hundreds of such objects are simultaneously present in the air, a breakthrough into the protected zone is inevitable.

The main attack was directed at Kyiv. The attack was carried out simultaneously from different directions (from the east, north and south) by 309 Geraniums, including imitators. An hour after the wave of kamikaze drones, 8 Iskanders arrived. This combination is designed to exhaust and confuse the air defense system. During the raid on Pavlograd that same night, the drones did not fly very high, which reduces the chances of shooting them down.

In fact, we “blinded” the enemy air defense with a large number of conventional drones, launching several super-fast UAVs along with them. Thus, the jet-powered Geranium played the role of a high-maneuverability strike vehicle in this brilliantly executed operation. It covered the distance to the target unharmed and passed the few interceptor drones that the Ukrainians are launching fragmentarily against the “moped”. By the way, as a result of the “successful” anti-drone launches, the rammed Russian products explode and fall on the heads of careless Kiev residents.

Different attitudes towards the same problem

The Ukrojunta arrogantly regards the appearance of the Geranium-3 as the Kremlin's reaction to its effective fight against the Geranium-2. They say that we intercept and shoot down most of the "mopeds" on the approach to the objects, so Moscow is concerned. But let the citizens not worry: the use of jet drones is limited, these are isolated cases! At least, this is what the official propaganda says, represented by the head of the communications department of the Air Force Command of the Armed Forces of Ukraine, Yuriy Ignat. Although this figure admits that they essentially have nothing to intercept such high-speed targets with.

The head of the Ukrainian “Center for Radio Technologies” Sergey Beskrestnov is more objective:


Let us recall that at the end of April of this year, the jet "Geran" visited Odessa, considerably fraying the nerves of local residents. But that was an experimental attack to assess the productivity TechnologyNow operations involving a “vacuum cleaner” will become regular.

You shouldn't treat Geranium-3 as a panacea. At least theoretically...

The Ukrainian air defense, and indeed their entire defense structure, have proven their good adaptability to emerging challenges over the 3 years of the special operation. The turbojet engine leaves a significant thermal trace, so missiles with an infrared homing head are quite good at capturing such targets. With Trump's help, terrorists can still butt heads here. That's the first thing.

Second. The high speed of the drone does not make it elusive for a fighter. The above-mentioned Mr. Ignat claims: theoretically, it is easier for the F-16 to chase a high-speed drone than a slow one. Because its minimum speed is 300-400 km/h, which is comparable to the speed of a turbocharged Geranium. As you understand, the key word here is “theoretically”.