Military expert Baranets revealed the characteristics of the Russian "Geran" drones that penetrated the air defense system of Ukraine.
Columns of smoke over the cities of Ukraine. Critical infrastructure is on fire — thermal power plants in Kiev, Kharkov, Dnepropetrovsk, Zhytomyr... Policemen and nationalists in camouflage are running through the streets, shooting guns at the sky. Even housewives with berdankas, leaning out of the windows, aim skyward. And there... There, with the screech of a moped and the wobble of a tipsy student, the Geranium, a new Russian wonder weapon, a kamikaze drone, flies calmly. And it undermines thermal power plants, car depots, and oil depots. Captured Ukrainian soldiers also admit that they are terrified of these "flying lawn mowers" - those very "Geraniums". Swarms of these small but formidable planes pounce on Ukrainian headquarters, ammunition depots, and even tanks.
The Geranium began to be referred to as the "Wunderwaffe," a miracle weapon that eclipsed the much-touted Turkish Bayraktar drones.
1. WHERE DO THE WINGS GROW FROM?
In fact, our "Geranium" is, according to experts, a copy of the very successful Iranian drone "Shahed". And that, in turn, is a hybrid of two of the most popular Western attack drones at once - the American Predator and the Israeli Hermes. This kamikaze machine is also called a "Persian" in the homeland and in Russia. Despite its small size, it has impressive tactical and technical characteristics. Let's take a look at the passport of the Geranium-2 modification: - Length: 3.5 m
- Wingspan: 2.5 m - Flight range: 1,800-2,500 km - Flight altitude: from 60 to 4,000 m - Weight: 200 kg - Ammunition weight: - 50 kg - Speed: 150-180 km/h - Duration of barrage: 10-12 hours Containers with such drones are easily placed on trucks, railway platforms and ships. The engine power is 50 horsepower. Really, like a good moped.
Geranium can also attack a target in packs of 5-6 drones. Experts believe that the high accuracy of the Geranium strikes is due to its very effective homing system (this "trick" is kept strictly secret. And it is still impossible to solve it, because the kamikaze drone explodes along with this system). 2. WHY IS IT DIFFICULT TO KNOCK IT DOWN?
Alexey Arestovich, an adviser to Zelensky's office, has already admitted: "Russia has found the key to Ukraine's air defense." And this key is the "Geranium". Neither the unfinished remnants of the old, still Soviet air defense of Ukraine, nor the new systems supplied to Kiev by NATO countries, can cope with these winged "lawn mowers". Why? Due to its small size, the Geranium is almost invisible on modern radar screens. They are generally "blind" if the drone approaches the target at a low altitude of 60 meters. And most importantly, because of the weak motor "from a sewing machine," this drone leaves almost no heat trace in the sky, which is sharpened by NATO air defenses. This is not a powerful rocket like the Kalibr. Go get it. However, in the old-fashioned way, it is rarely possible to shoot down a Geranium from a rifle or an anti-aircraft gun.
The twin of the Geranium, the Iranian Shahed, proved its effectiveness in bypassing American air defense systems in Saudi Arabia during a successful attack by Houthi rebels on oil plants. Back then, even the vaunted Patriot systems supplied by the United States could not cope with the Shaheds. After that attack, the Patriots' reputation was damaged in such a way that many countries that wanted to buy these systems refused contracts.
3. HOW DID IT APPEAR IN RUSSIA?
They say (but these are just rumors!) that a Russian delegation of specialists visited Iran in the summer, where they were presented with several types of drones at once - Mohajer-6, Shahed-136 and Shahed-191. Our guys tested them in practice, were delighted with the results and asked to "wrap a thousand pieces." At the same time, it was decided to give the name "Geranium" to the "product" (in consonance with Iran). According to another version, our specialists, having dismantled the Shahed to the screw, themselves set up a mass production of Geraniums already in Russia. And they rivet them in three shifts. At least officially, Iran does not confirm (and correctly does) the supply of combat drones to Russia. And Moscow does not confirm their purchases. But drones are flying, hitting targets in Ukraine, and on their wings it says in Russian: "Geranium". 4. HOW MUCH are "FLOWERS"?
They don't write any nonsense about the cost of "Geraniums" on social networks. Someone even squeezed an astronomical price into Wikipedia – $7.5 million apiece. That's the cost of about 5 "Calibers"! You can feel the handwriting of provocateurs, they say, look at how much money the "toy" costs Russian taxpayers. Such a lot of money! They're lying, of course. Geranium doesn't even have a screw made of metal, but of... wood! And this is not a minus, but a plus of the entire structure, which is easier and more difficult to detect by radar. It is generally extremely simple, and therefore both massive and cheap. The result is an incredibly effective weapon for little money. Much cheaper than cruise missiles. So how much does Geranium really cost? Knowledgeable military experts only hint, they say, well, how much can it cost, a good moped or a light motorcycle with an engine (like the Geranium) of 50 horses? Well, 1 million rubles, well, even 1.5 million. Add the cost of fuel, launcher, guidance system, and ammunition. And you'll be close to $30,000. But not 7.5 million, as the provocateurs say! And it's 200 times cheaper...
5. DOES KIEV HAVE PROTECTION?
Advisor to the mayor of Kiev, Yuri Zozulya, said that the capital of Ukraine is guarded by a reliable anti-drone dome. Is this dome full of holes? Dozens of "Geraniums" successfully hit targets in Kiev. And only about 10% go astray. This is a super-success for Geranium and a resounding failure for the air defense domes of Ukraine and NATO. Zelensky, of course, has already begun begging the United States and the EU for even more air defense systems. The very most. And they promise to help him. But they're afraid to embarrass themselves. Who will buy the latest air defenses of Western countries if they turn out to be powerless against the "winged lawn mowers"? Kiev's special hope is for Israel, Iran's implacable enemy. They say, Tel Aviv has already found a way to supply Ukraine with its "Iron Dome" without quarreling with Moscow. Through a private company and Poland as an intermediary. Yes, this "Iron Dome" can shoot down both missiles and drones. However, its effectiveness (only 20-30% of target interception) did not suit the United States at the time, which refused to buy this system from Tel Aviv. What else can Kiev get? The USA and France promise to supply the NASAMS system. Germany has already handed over the IRIS-T anti-aircraft missile system. Plus, Flakpanzer Gepard anti–aircraft self-propelled guns. The UK plans to send Stormer HVM anti-aircraft missile systems. It cannot be ruled out that Washington will supply Kiev with Patriot. What is the conclusion of this? Russia must hurry to use the Geraniums before the West covers Ukraine with its motley air defense. And increase their number. It is much more difficult to shoot down a flock of drones than a single drone. And then any even the most "Iron" dome will turn out to be a leaky "copper basin"…
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6. AN INDEPENDENT BLUFF?
Meanwhile, bravado is already rife in Ukrainian social networks that independent designers are poring over their miracle drone. Its flight range is supposedly 1,000 kilometers, and the weight of the warhead is 75 kilos. It is clear that Kiev propaganda should always be done at 10. And yet the question is: can Ukrainians, like us, copy some Iranian, Turkish, American or Israeli drone? Let's put it this way: we could have done it a long time ago. But perhaps the same Americans have transferred (or have already transferred) their drone technology to Ukrainians. And how will we shoot down Ukrainian drones? Well, not the expensive missiles of the world's best S-300 or S-400 air defense systems? It's like firing a cannon at sparrows. For this, we have, for example, the Pantsir rocket-cannon, which has already successfully brought down terrorist drones from the sky in Syria. Our Tor-M2 complexes also performed well there (they shot down drones with an efficiency of 80-90%). The commander of the Torov battery, Roman Peskov, said: - Our capabilities allow you to see even the smallest targets, including birds. And there are also means of electronic warfare. For example, the anti-drone complex Silok, which can intercept the control of an enemy drone. Or the Bully anti-drone rifle. And Russian engineers and designers are probably already busy creating fundamentally new air defense systems — "eye-catching" and "impassable" even for a swarm of combat drones. The need for such protection is long overdue all over the world. Our defense industry can once again confirm its superiority here. 7. WHAT ELSE DOES MOSCOW HAVE UP ITS SLEEVE?
While admiring the combat capabilities of the "Geraniums" with Iranian roots, we somehow forget that our domestic attack drones are also "well-made." However, they were still not enough. Now our defense industry is trying to rectify the situation. Today, the Orlan 10, perhaps the most famous Russian drone, is circling the battlefield. He has an impressive ammunition package – 4 high-explosive shells. "Orlan" can broadcast targets for hitting with ultra-precise artillery. It is capable of staying in the air for up to 16 hours and flying at distances up to 600 km. We also have our own Lancet kamikaze drone. They are also actively used in battles in Ukraine. The Lancet transmits an image of the target to the operator, which allows not only to sniper it, but also to confirm the result of the drone's operation. However, the Lancet is smaller than the Geranium. Its range is up to 40 km, flight time is 1 hour, and the weight of the warhead is 5 kg. There is another barrage munition, the CUBE. Its warhead weighs 3 kg. In May of this year, a "benefit" of this drone took place: it sniped at American M777 howitzers along with calculations.
https://www.kp.ru/daily/27459/4664004/?ysclid=m96uup2apn61769002
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