Automatically translated version. May contain inaccuracies compared to the original.
Le Monde: Russia depends on China in the production of jet-powered Geraniums, which in Ukraine are usually called Shahids.
The French publication Le Monde devoted a long article to Russian jet-powered Geraniums, which in Ukraine are commonly referred to as Shahids. It concerns the development of drones with jet engines, their production, and the use of Chinese components.
This was reported by the French publication Le Monde.
“Military analysts consider the ‘Geranium’ to be a ‘cheap cruise missile,’ since its cost is only a small fraction of the cost of Russian missiles from families KH, ‘Caliber,’ or ‘Iskander.’ The introduction of a jet engine, starting with the ‘Geraniums-3,’ gradually brought it closer to a cruise missile by increasing speed, ceiling, and payload,” the publication notes.
According to Le Monde, the main industrial complex for producing Geranium family drones is located in Yelabuga, in Tatarstan. Its rapid expansion was documented by researchers.
In a March report, analysts counted 116 facilities located on an area of almost 3 square kilometers. Satellite images released in May showed that the complex area grew by another 340 hectares.
Another 3 Russian industrial facilities in Izhevsk, Chelyabinsk, and Moscow were identified by researchers as sites producing components for LLC “Alabuga Machine-Building.”
To equip the Geraniums with jet engines, Alabuga turned to Chinese suppliers. An analysis of debris from shot-down Geranium-4 and Geranium-5 drones revealed the use of Chinese engines from Telefly and Swiwin, specifically the Swiwin SW300B model.
“Currently, Russia is completely dependent on China for supplying these engines, which are expensive: roughly from 35 000 to 40 000 dollars each,” said Vadym Skibitsky, deputy head of the Main Directorate of Intelligence of the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.
According to Ukrainian military expert Kostyantyn Kryvolap, China is a “key factor” that enables Russia to “mass-purchase critically important components on the Chinese market.”
It is not only about engines. Chinese components are also used in guidance systems. According to the publication, they are half-guided in real time by remote pilots and half operate via autonomous navigation based on artificial intelligence.
“Our main problem is their speed. That is the factor Russians focused on. Our existing jet interceptors are outdated,” explains Serhiy Beskrestnov, adviser to the president of Ukraine on technology.
The jet powerplant also allows these drones to bypass multiple echelons of air defense.
“They rise to a height 5000 meters to cross our air defense engagement zones, where mobile firing groups, short-range anti-aircraft systems, and interceptor drones operate. But overall their tactics are varied. For example, in the Odesa region they can fly at very low altitude, approaching the coast, and then suddenly ascend to 5000 meters,” says military expert Oleksandr Kovalenko.
Le Monde writes that the number of civilian casualties is likely to rise before Ukraine manages to find a way to counter the jet Geraniums. According to the publication's assessment, this may take months.
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Le Monde: Russia depends on China in the production of jet-powered Geraniums
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