New Russian jet engine drone used to attack Kyiv
Russia likely used a jet-powered kamikaze UAV, believed to be the Geran‑3, in one of its recent strikes on Kyiv, Ukrainian outlet Defense Express reported on June 11.
Ukraine’s Defense Intelligence (HUR) previously warned that Moscow was working on a jet engine version of its Iranian-derived Shahed-136 drone. Similarly, Grean-3 is based on Shahed-238, which was first shown in Tehran in November 2023.
During the June 9 attack, some Kyiv residents reported hearing an unusual whistling sound not typically associated with Shahed drones. Among the debris was a compact jet engine that helped explain the odd noise, the report said.
“The engine fragments are essentially all we have to discuss this drone in detail because the rest of the wreckage was too fragmented,” the report stated.
“At this time, we cannot say definitively whether it was the jet-powered Shahed‑238, which was shown in Iran in November 2023, or another long‑range drone with a jet engine that resembles a Shahed.”
In addition, parts recovered at the crash site indicate the drone shares several components with Shahed‑136, including an avionics panel used to load the flight plan, start the engine, and control other systems.
“That means, with a high degree of probability, this is either a genuine Shahed‑238 or a drone built from Russian parts using Iranian solutions, at least in terms of the panel and programming systems,” the article said.
The analysts concluded that the examined debris were from a Russian-made derivative of Shahed-238.
“This view is reinforced by HUR’s warning in February 2025 that Russia is working on producing a copy of the jet-powered kamikaze drone Shahed‑238 under the designation Geran‑3.”
According to HUR, Geran‑3 can fly at speeds up to 550‑600 km/h, powered by the Iranian Tolou‑10/13 turbojet engine—an unlicensed copy of the Czech PBS TJ100.
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