Russia’s use of the jet-powered Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones is changing the economics of the conflict in Moscow’s favor, as Ukrainian forces are being forced to spend expensive air-defense missiles on comparatively cheap unmanned aircraft, military correspondent Roman Saponkov told Gazeta.Ru.

According to Saponkov, the new Geran variants are fast, mass-produced jet drones that can no longer be reliably intercepted by gun-based air defenses using heavy machine guns. Countering them requires either stationary Western-made air-defense systems or mobile surface-to-air missile weapons comparable to Russia’s Igla man-portable systems.

The cost imbalance becomes particularly significant when stationary air-defense systems are used. Saponkov said the Geran drones are roughly ten times cheaper than the missiles launched to destroy them, sharply shifting the economics of air warfare in Russia’s favor.

The problem for Ukrainian air defenses could become far more serious if Russia deploys jet-powered Gerans on a large scale against facilities linked to the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Saponkov argued that intercepting thousands of such drones would be extremely difficult because Ukraine could eventually exhaust the physical stock of available air-defense weapons.

The Financial Times previously reported that Russia’s new Geran-4 and Geran-5 jet drones had altered the course of aerial combat in the conflict in Ukraine.

According to the newspaper, the Geran-5 can reach speeds of up to 600 km/h and carry a 90-kilogram warhead over distances of up to 1,000 kilometers. Its design is described as being close to that of a cruise missile.

The new Geran drones are also equipped with thermal-imaging cameras, artificial intelligence-based guidance systems, anti-jamming antennas and modems.