Russia has introduced a new generation of relatively inexpensive Geran-5 strike drones and Banderol missiles, capable of precisely locating targets and evading interception. As reported by The Wall Street Journal, the emergence of these weapons shows the Russian military’s ability to adapt, innovate, and move new systems into mass production quickly.
Representatives from Ukraine and other parties say the technological leap was largely enabled by components bought from China in violation of international sanctions. Debris from downed munitions provides evidence of this, among other factors.
Experts note that within a few years Russia developed and fielded both weapon types by modifying earlier models, testing them in combat, and launching mass production at speed. They argue this has allowed Moscow to get ahead of Kyiv and Washington.
Ukraine has also demonstrated the ability to develop new weapons quickly, creating one of the first effective jet‑powered drones. The publication adds that the country lacks production resources and, to a large extent, the capacity to plan long‑term weapons development.
What the West can learn from Russia
“In the West, we tend to underestimate Russia, but it can go from idea and experimentation to production very quickly. This is something the West needs to learn from Russia,” said Katerina Bondar, a senior fellow at the Center for Strategic and International Studies in Washington.
Russian developments directly affect the U.S. as well, because Russia, Iran and North Korea exchange military know‑how. According to the publication, innovations created during the war in Ukraine are already being applied in the U.S. conflict with Iran.
The article also attributes the rapid rollout of new drone production to Vladimir Putin, who has used his control over the country to reorient resources toward the war against Ukraine. This shift redirected budgetary funds and state‑bank capital into the defence sector, allowing Russia to mobilise resources on a scale that NATO democracies have not seen since World War II.
“Banderol” and “Geran-5”: features of the new weapons
The Banderol missile and Geran-5 drone meet the demand for relatively inexpensive yet capable single‑use weapons. According to The Wall Street Journal, the new systems combine upgraded lower‑class armaments with simplified high‑tech solutions. Each balances cost, range, speed, explosive power and the ability to reach targets without being intercepted.
Estimates place the price of both the Banderol and Geran-5 at roughly $100,000 per unit. By contrast, high‑tech American Tomahawk cruise missiles and their Russian counterparts cost more than $2 million each.
Geran drones, the authors note, began as slower Iranian Shahed UAVs with propeller engines. After Ukraine learned to intercept them effectively, Russian engineers upgraded the UAVs, increasing speed and improving their ability to evade air‑defence systems.
Mike Monnik, CEO of DroneSec, a firm that tracks drone‑related threats, said the Geran-5 has forced a rethink of counter‑drone tactics because “essentially, it is a poor man’s cruise missile.”
DroneSec analysts agree with the Ukrainian assessment that Russia relies heavily on Chinese components, including jet engines, navigation computers and communications electronics.
They say Russian engineers excel at maximising off‑the‑shelf equipment purchased from China, creating antennas that counter electronic‑warfare systems and communication networks that function in jammed environments.
Russia bets on mass production
The publication highlights Russia’s capacity for mass production as a strategic advantage. “Now we see that mass is a critically important component of success,” said Katerina Bondar.
U.S. and NATO officials acknowledge the challenge. Army Colonel Martin O’Donnell remarked, “We must apply and adapt all available tools and capabilities to the realities we face today.”
He added that, at a recent summit, NATO members pledged to invest more than $40 billion over five years in counter‑drone capabilities.
Bondar also stressed the need to anticipate future stages of weapons development. She said Ukraine had received signals for years that Russia was working on jet‑powered drones and inexpensive cruise missiles, yet Kyiv was unprepared for their large‑scale use.
“It was obvious for quite a long time that we would eventually end up in this situation. It surprises me that everyone is surprised,” Bondar added.
Impact of new drones on Ukrainian air defence
According to UNIAN, jet‑powered drones have effectively sidelined mobile fire groups. Their high speed gives Ukrainian air‑defence little time to detect and destroy them, forcing Ukraine to deploy more expensive assets such as F‑16, Mirage and MiG‑29 fighter jets, as well as ground‑based air‑defence systems and interceptor missiles.
UNIAN reports that the new Gerans have sharply reduced Ukrainian air‑defence effectiveness. Ukrainian Air Force spokesperson Yurii Ihnat says Ukraine now intercepts only about 60 % of the jet‑powered drones, compared with a typical 90–95 % interception rate for other variants.
Source: UNIAN
