Russia’s Jet-Powered Shahed Surge Is Creating a New Air-Defense Problem for Ukraine

Russia attacked Ukraine in July with five times as many jet-powered Shahed loitering munitions as it did in June, according to Ukraine’s air force. The increase suggests Moscow is scaling production of faster, more complex attack drones rather than relying only on older propeller-driven models.

Yuriy Ignat, a spokesperson for Ukraine’s air force, said the trend reflects Russia’s effort to use weapons that require ground- and air-based air-defense assets, including aircraft. He also said August statistics would likely show continued growth in jet-powered drone use.

Russia’s Shaheds, known as Gerans, are local versions of Iranian attack drones that the Kremlin has modified and built domestically for the war. The earlier Geran-2 used a propeller and reached speeds of around 115 mph, while the newer Geran-3 and Geran-4 use turbojets that can fly at typical speeds of 200 mph or higher.

That speed makes them extremely difficult for many Ukrainian interceptor drones to catch. They can also fly as high as 30,000 feet, putting them beyond the reach of some ground teams using truck-mounted machine guns and shoulder-launched anti-air missiles.

Business Insider reports that turbojet drones are becoming a core element of Moscow’s air attacks. Ukrainian officials said in mid-August that jet-powered drones accounted for up to two-thirds of Russia’s long-range attacks, after Geran-3s had been a rare sight in mid-2025.

Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said Russia launched 800 jet-powered drones in four days out of 1,500 long-range drones. Drone expert Serhii “Flash” Beskrestnov said Russia launched more than 2,500 jet-powered drones in August alone, up from 1,500 in July.

Ukraine has been working on interceptors designed to take down jet-powered Shaheds, Zelenskyy said, adding that four companies had already developed such technology. The central challenge is matching Russia’s faster drone threat with defensive systems that can scale affordably.

Ukraine also faces the S8000 Banderol, described as a low-cost, jet-powered hybrid weapon built with commercial parts and often characterized as a mix of a cruise missile and an attack drone. Ukrainian reports say it can travel at more than 400 mph and carry a 114-kg explosive warhead over 300 miles.