A new type of Russian drone is being used in combat in Ukraine, reportedly a multirole long-range type that can undertake attack as well as surveillance missions. Known as the Gerbera, the drone, assumed to be of Russian production, is being seen as a complement to the widely used Iranian-designed Shahed/Geran long-range one-way attack drone.
The first evidence of the new drone emerged last week, when photos of one example, apparently downed over the Kyiv region on July 24, were posted on Ukrainian social media accounts. The drone in question reportedly had no warhead fitted, indicating it was being used for a mission other than strike.
This foam-bodied UAV has only recently been used by the Russians against Ukraine. On Sunday, July 28, the Russian Stalin’s Falcons unit published a video showing the Gerbera drone developed by the Gastello Design Bureau. It is stated that this UAV could be used for electronic reconnaissance, as a kamikaze drone or as a decoy for air defense systems.
Given the previously published photos, a drone without a warhead was found in the Kyiv region on July 24, meaning that it was performing a reconnaissance or other function.
According to the video footage, the strike version of the Gerbera drone uses a camera, very similar to the one installed on FPV drones, for manual targeting by the operator.
The accuracy of the targeting depends on the skill of the operator, because even in the propaganda video it can be seen that the drone did not hit the target, but exploded nearby.
The flight range of a drone with a warhead is likely to be relatively short, limited by the range of direct radio communication. However, another drone with a transponder can also be used to guide the Gerbera drone. The Russians use the Lancet loitering munition in the same way.
However, the downed/suppressed drone in Kyiv region had two 3/4G antennas and a modem with a SIM card inside, which in certain areas can provide a more stable communication channel for transmitting video to the operator’s control panel via the Ukrainian mobile network. Or the Russians used this equipment to have the drone transmit its location when it was shot down or suppressed by EW so that other drones would bypass the area.
The drone also contains two 3G/4G antennas and a SIM card
It is also likely that the drone can fly along a predetermined route without operator intervention and without a repeater, as Iranian Shahed kamikaze drones, called Geran in Russia, do. The onboard numbers on the new drones also begin with the letter “И,” just like the Shahed drones. In addition, it is stated that these drones could form a swarm.
The exact range of the Russian Gerbera UAV and the weight of its payload are currently unknown. However, the fact that it reached the Kyiv region indicates that it can travel at least several hundred kilometers.
Presumably, Gerbera drones are manufactured at a plant in the Alabuga Special Economic Zone, located near the city of Yelabuga in Russian Tatarstan. The production of Shahed/Geran UAVs has also been established there.
A close-up of the drone’s fuselage suggests it may be covered in a radar-absorbent material
Like the Geran, the new drone has a relatively large delta wing, although with prominently cranked leading edges. Rather than horizontal stabalizers on the wingtips as on the Geran, the Gerbera has a conventional single vertical tailfin, located just ahead of the single pusher propeller driven by an internal combustion engine. Ukrainian accounts suggest that the Gerbera has a wingspan of around 2 meters (6.5 feet) compared to around 2.5 meters (8.2 feet) for the Geran-2 (Shahed-136). Reportedly, the body of the drone is made of radar-absorbent foam and, like some examples of the Geran, the ones seen so far are black-colored.
The Russian account states that the Gerbera drone was developed by the Gastello Design Bureau, an otherwise more or less unknown company. It is stated that this UAV could be used for electronic reconnaissance, as a kamikaze drone or as a decoy for air defense systems. While unconfirmed, it has been suggested that the Gerbera is being built in the same factory in Yelabuga, in Russia’s southeastern Tatarstan region that also manufactures Geran drones.
The report from Stalin’s Falcons explains that the strike version of the Gerbera drone uses a camera for targeting, implying a man-in-the-loop guidance system. This, in turn, will result in a relatively short range, limited by the requirement to maintain direct radio communication between drone and operator. Using airborne relays can extend this connectivity, which is very much a growing tactic in Ukraine, but still major limitations exist for this kind of control concept.
Sources: MILITARNYI; The War Zone