LONDON, September 14. /TASS/. Russia’s upgraded Geran unmanned systems that can fly at a high speed and altitude have changed the air war in Ukraine, actually blurring the line between drones and cruise missiles, the Financial Times (FT) reported.

While the early-generation Geran-1 drone carries a warhead of up to 20kg and has a top speed of 185 km/h, the jet-powered Geran-5 drone can fly at up 600 km/h and carry a warhead of 90kg over a range of 1,000km, the FT wrote. According to it, the new drones are equipped with thermal cameras and targeting systems based on AI as well as anti-jamming antennas.

Centralized production has enabled the Russian side to "adapt the drones, absorb battlefield feedback and deploy new models quickly," the FT continued. "The drones cost a fraction of the missiles that formed the core of Moscow’s previous air campaigns," the newspaper reported, adding that "mass production has also accelerated innovation."