The Geranium-3 jet flew to Ukrainian military factories for the first time

The mass of the new device is more than a ton

In the January group strikes on military enterprises in Ukraine, Russian attack drones «Geran-3» were used for the first time, which replaced the propeller-driven vehicles «Geran-2» , nicknamed “mopeds” for the characteristic sound from running engines. Photos of fragments of new drones appeared on Ukrainian social networks. Experts spoke about the characteristics of the new loitering kamikaze ammunition and how they differ from their predecessors.

Photo: Social networks

Ukrainian photos show fragments of drone construction found at the site of the strikes. The jet power plant is clearly visible on them. And this is the main difference from the Geran-2 devices, which move due to a pushing propeller located in the tail of the fuselage, which is driven.

Military reporter Alexander Sladkov called Geran-3 a new fire weapon of recent times. According to him, the mass of the device has been increased to a ton. This is much more than that of Geranium-2, whose mass is approximately 200 kg. The “moped” can carry a charge weighing up to 50 kg. And the Geranium rocket carries a charge of 300 kg. That is, its destructive power is much higher. “We are significantly increasing firepower,” concludes Alexander Sladkov.

Military expert Alexander Zimovsky also notes that since the beginning of 2024, a qualitative breakthrough has been recorded in the development of Russian weapons. According to him, “Geran-3” resembles the Soviet heavy drone Tu-141 “Strizh”. However, it looks much more compact. The device is equipped with a small turbojet engine with a thrust of 370 kg. This makes it possible to increase the take-off weight of the Geranium-3 to a ton, and the mass of the warhead to 300 kg.

Military expert Vladislav Shurygin noted in his channel that the speed of the jet Geranium is significantly higher than that of the propeller-driven » Geranium-2″. The speed of «Gerani-3» is more than 600 km/h, and the cruising speed is about 470 km/h.

Good thrust-to-weight ratio and high speed make the drone more maneuverable, which helps to evade anti-aircraft fire and stay less in the zone defeat of Ukrainian air defense systems. According to the expert, “Geran-3” is capable of performing a “slide” maneuver, diving from a height of 10 km almost vertically.

Military expert Alexey Sukonkin notes in this regard: “Bandera’s men are worried that such a “Geran” will be shot down.” very difficult compared to the previous screw version. Be kind!”