Source: msn.com
With the war between Russia and Ukraine now well into its fourth year, Moscow has turned to a new jet-powered attack drone to gain a quick battlefield advantage.
Just as Kyiv believed its drone-killing interceptors would be its greatest new weapon, Russia has gone to China for help in getting the latest upper hand.
Last week, talks between Russian President Vladimir Putin and his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, in Beijing were partly focused on the war in Ukraine.
What is the Geran-4?
The Geran-4 is powered by a Chinese-made turbojet engine and can fly as fast as 310mph, as well as cruise at an altitude of 1,640 feet, said the GUR, Ukraine’s military intelligence agency.
The drone can carry a highly explosive warhead over a distance of 280 miles (450km).
Russia launched 262 drones on Monday, following a strike on Sunday with 600 drones, 90 missiles, and an Oreshnik missile hitting the Kyiv region.
What is the Oreshnik missile?
The Oreshnik is usually used to carry nuclear weapons. Each missile carries a number of independent warheads that can hit multiple targets at once, says Matthew Sussex, an associate professor in strategic studies at the Centre for Future Defence and National Security at Australia’s Deakin University.
“Russia has a very limited number of Oreshniks, and can only make a handful per year,” he says.
Despite the damage they did, “this doesn’t turn the tide of the war. It’s a warning to Nato and a bit of posturing to Ukraine about Russian capabilities”, Sussex said.
The Oreshnik is a nuclear capable missile that carries a number of independent warheads that can hit multiple targets at once (Graphic: Omar Zaghloul/Getty)
Has Ukraine ever shot down a Geran-4?
At this stage it is unclear if the Ukrainians have downed the latest model, however, Business Insider says Kyiv has taken down some of Geran-4’s predecessors.
Mykhailo Fedorov, Ukraine’s defence minister, recently told reporters that the number of Geran-type drones downed by Ukrainian interceptor drones had doubled since the start of the year, the magazine reported.
The interceptor drones are armed with small warheads and eliminate their targets by colliding with them or exploding nearby.
But they are primarily designed to engage the Geran-2, which can reach speeds of 115mph, not the faster variants.
“Terror knows no borders, and stability can only be restored to the world by depriving Russia of access to the technologies the aggressor uses to wage its criminal war,” said Ukrainian intelligence.
