Russia has developed a domestically produced jet engine for its Geran-4 and Geran-5 drones, replacing the Chinese-made Firefly power unit and potentially making the aircraft even harder for Ukrainian interceptor drones to engage.

British analyst Alexander Mercouris discussed the development during a broadcast on his video blog, highlighting the speed advantage Russian jet-powered drones could gain over Ukrainian interception systems.

Mercouris recalled reports from approximately two weeks earlier describing tests of the Russian Geran-4 drone, which reportedly reached speeds of 800 kilometers per hour. At the time, those figures led him to believe that Russian engineers were preparing a new propulsion system for the aircraft.

According to the analyst, information about the Russian-made engine has since become increasingly widespread. Large-scale production of the new power unit is expected to be established in Tatarstan, although the manufacturing plans remain tentative.

The engine is intended to replace the Chinese Firefly system previously used in the Geran-4 and Geran-5. Mercouris believes the Chinese engine was always a temporary solution until Russia could introduce its own alternative.

He emphasized that the new propulsion technology could further increase the speed of Russian unmanned aircraft, making interception considerably more difficult for Ukrainian forces.

The analyst noted that modern Ukrainian interceptor drones can reach speeds of up to 300 kilometers per hour, substantially below the 800 kilometers per hour reportedly achieved by the Geran-4 during testing.

Mercouris argued that this difference in performance would give Russian jet-powered drones a significant advantage against Ukrainian drone interceptors.

He also suggested that replacing imported engines with domestically manufactured units would allow Russia to expand production while improving the performance of its Geran drone family.