Shahed-136 / Geran-2 by Shahed Aviation Industries: status and timeline

Shahed-136 / Geran-2

Hit power plants, refineries and cities far behind the front with a weapon cheap enough to send in swarms, so the defender runs out of costly missiles before the attacker runs out of drones.

ScalingStage 5 of 5

Russia launches hundreds a night at Ukraine; a jet version is spreading

Updated 21 Jul 2026Checked 11 Oct0 updates this week

Milestones

No announced next step

First public footageDec 2021Complete.
First use in Ukraine as Russian Geran-213 Sep 2022Complete.
Russia launches 810 attack and decoy drones in one night7 Sep 2025Complete.
Record 948 drones launched at Ukraine in one day24 Mar 2026Complete.

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Cheap interceptor dronesUkraine's interceptor drones now down most Shaheds at a fraction of their cost, pushing Russia toward faster jet versions.

Physics limits

Slow means vulnerableAt about 185 km/h a propeller drone is easy to chase down; going faster with a jet costs fuel, range and price.
Blind to moving targetsSatellite navigation to fixed coordinates works on buildings, not moving ones; adding seekers and data links adds cost and jamming risk.

How it works

3 parts

Engine

Small piston engine

An MD-550 piston engine, copied from a German Limbach design, turns a pusher propeller: slow but cheap and fuel-efficient.

Navigation

Satellite plus inertial

Inertial sensors corrected by GPS/GLONASS steer it to fixed coordinates; Russian versions add anti-jam antennas, cameras and 4G or Starlink links.

Swarm

Mixed with decoys

Launched in waves with cheaper decoy drones so defenders must spend interceptors on many targets.

Spec sheet

Spec	Shahed-136 / Geran-2
Length	3.5 m^R (reported)
Wingspan	2.5 m^R (reported)
Mass	~200 kg^R (reported)
Warhead	50-90 kg^R (reported)
Speed	~185 km/h^R (reported)
Range	Up to 2,500 km (estimates vary)^E (estimated)
Russian output (GUR, Sep 2025)	Up to 2,700 a month^R (reported)
Unit cost	$20,000-80,000^E (estimated)

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Peer comparison

Attack drones peers

Spec	Shahed-136 / Geran-2	Fire Point FP-1	STARK Virtus
Warhead	50-90 kg^R (reported)	—	Up to 5 kg^R (reported)
Range	Up to 2,500 km (estimates vary)^E (estimated)	2,500+ km^R (reported)	130 km+^R (reported)
Unit cost	$20,000-80,000^E (estimated)	$55,000–75,000^R (reported)	—

^R reported by the company · ^E our estimate

Update log

4 updates

About Shahed Aviation Industries

The team behind Shahed-136 / Geran-2

Shahed Aviation Industries

Shahed-136 one-way attack drone (Geran-2)

Shahed Aviation Industries is an Iranian research centre linked to the Revolutionary Guards that designed the Shahed-136 one-way attack drone, built with state-owned HESA. Russia now mass-produces its own version, the Geran-2, at Alabuga in Tatarstan.

Shahed-136 has become the defining long-range attack drone of the Russia-Ukraine war.
Russia can build up to 2,700 a month, Ukrainian intelligence said in September 2025.

Company profile →

Headquarters: Iran
Status: Government
Valuation: government
Works in: AviationAttack drones
Coverage: 1 program · 4 updateslatest 21 Jul 2026checked 11 Oct

Spec

Shahed-136 / Geran-2

Length

3.5 m^R (reported)

Wingspan

2.5 m^R (reported)

Mass

~200 kg^R (reported)

Warhead

50-90 kg^R (reported)

Speed

~185 km/h^R (reported)

Range

Up to 2,500 km (estimates vary)^E (estimated)

Russian output (GUR, Sep 2025)

Up to 2,700 a month^R (reported)

Unit cost

$20,000-80,000^E (estimated)

Spec

Shahed-136 / Geran-2

Fire Point FP-1

STARK Virtus

Warhead

50-90 kg^R (reported)

—

Up to 5 kg^R (reported)

Range

Up to 2,500 km (estimates vary)^E (estimated)

2,500+ km^R (reported)

130 km+^R (reported)

Unit cost

$20,000-80,000^E (estimated)

$55,000–75,000^R (reported)

—

Shahed-136 / Geran-2

Milestones

Most important updates

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Small piston engine

Satellite plus inertial

Mixed with decoys

Spec sheet

Peer comparison

Update log

Tue 21 Jul

Tue 24 Mar

Sun 7 Sep 2025

Sat 6 Sep 2025

About Shahed Aviation Industries

Current obstacles

Physics limits

How it works

Small piston engine

Satellite plus inertial

Mixed with decoys

Spec sheet

Peer comparison

Update log

Tue 21 Jul

Tue 24 Mar

Sun 7 Sep 2025

Sat 6 Sep 2025

About Shahed Aviation Industries