Russian Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet-powered drones can bypass Ukrainian electronic warfare systems and make sharp course changes. Military expert Alexey Leonkov linked this capability to the use of mesh systems.

He explained that several drones flying together can form a single seamless Wi-Fi network and exchange data with one another. This allows the UAVs to adjust their route while keeping track of the target and maintaining high accuracy.

According to Leonkov, Ukraine is actively searching for ways to counter such aircraft. Britain is also working on interceptor drones that could later be supplied to the Ukrainian Armed Forces.

Speaking to NEWS.ru, the expert said that there are currently no interceptor drones capable of countering Russia’s jet-powered Geran UAVs. It is also unclear when such systems might appear or how effective they would be. In his assessment, Russia is therefore actively using its current advantage in the air.

Military expert and air defense historian Yuri Knutov also gave NEWS.ru a positive assessment of the Russian drones. He said the Gerans offer a strong price-to-performance ratio and significantly outperform Western counterparts in this respect, which he believes is causing serious concern in Ukraine and the West.

Knutov pointed to another problem facing Russia’s opponents: no effective interceptor for jet-powered Geran drones has yet been developed. While the Ukrainian Armed Forces and Kiev’s supporters continue looking for a way to counter them, Russia can keep making active use of these UAVs, he said.

The expert also argued that Ukraine’s rear areas are already in poor condition and predicted that the situation would deteriorate further.

Earlier, The New York Times reported that Russia’s use of jet-powered drones had caused serious concern in Kiev. According to the newspaper, traditional Ukrainian air defense tools, including mobile machine-gun teams and short-range missile systems, have proved practically powerless against such targets.