# Shahed-136 / Geran-2 by Shahed Aviation Industries

Canonical page: https://technooptimist.io/aviation/shahed-136
Frontier: [Aviation](https://technooptimist.io/aviation.md) · Field: Attack drones · Company: [Shahed Aviation Industries](https://technooptimist.io/companies/shahed-aviation-industries.md)
Stage: Scaling (5 of 5: Research → Proto → Pilot → Deploy → Scaling)
Updated: last update 2026-07-21, facts checked 2026-10-11
Goal: 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.
Status: Russia launches hundreds a night at Ukraine; a jet version is spreading

## Milestones

| Status | Milestone | Date | Slip |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Done | First public footage | Dec 2021 |   |
| Done | First use in Ukraine as Russian Geran-2 | 13 Sep 2022 |   |
| Done | Russia launches 810 attack and decoy drones in one night | 7 Sep 2025 |   |
| Done | Record 948 drones launched at Ukraine in one day | 24 Mar 2026 |   |

## Most important updates

- **21 Jul 2026**: 15-20% of Russia's Shaheds are now jet-powered, pushing Ukraine to faster interceptors. Russia is fielding growing numbers of jet-propelled Shaheds that fly up to 500 km/h, leaving Ukraine less time to respond and reaching deeper targets including Kyiv. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/15-20-of-russia-s-shaheds-are-now-jet-powered-pushing-ukraine-to-faster-2b649ee2.md) · [original source](https://www.internazionale.it/ultime-notizie-reuters/2026/07/21/as-russia-deploys-jet-powered-shaheds-companies-turn-to-faster-interceptor-drones))
- **24 Mar 2026**: Russia launches 948 drones at Ukraine in a single day, a new record. Ukraine's air force said Russia launched 948 drones in 24 hours on 24 March 2026, 392 overnight and 556 during the day, plus 34 missiles: the largest single-day air attack of the war. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/russia-launches-948-drones-at-ukraine-in-a-single-day-a-new-record-c0a074f7.md) · [original source](https://en.interfax.com.ua/news/general/1154059.html))
- **7 Sep 2025**: Russia launches a record 810 Shahed-type and decoy drones at Ukraine in one night. Ukraine's air force reported 810 Shahed-type attack drones and decoys plus 13 missiles overnight on 7 September 2025, the largest attack of the war to that point. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/russia-launches-a-record-810-shahed-type-and-decoy-drones-at-ukraine-in-4ff9fd94.md) · [original source](https://prm.ua/en/russians-attack-ukraine-with-record-number-of-drones-launched-810-uavs-and-13-missiles/))
- **6 Sep 2025**: Ukrainian intelligence: Russia can now build up to 2,700 Shahed-type Geran-2 drones a month. Andriy Yusov of Ukraine's military intelligence said Russia can produce up to 2,700 Geran-2 drones, its version of the Shahed, each month, mostly at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan. ([our story](https://technooptimist.io/stories/ukrainian-intelligence-russia-can-now-build-up-to-2-700-shahed-type-61d30891.md) · [original source](https://news.liga.net/en/politics/news/russia-can-produce-up-to-2700-shaheds-per-month---intelligence-official))

## Current obstacles

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

## Physics limits

- **Slow means vulnerable**: At 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 targets**: Satellite navigation to fixed coordinates works on buildings, not moving ones; adding seekers and data links adds cost and jamming risk.

## How it works

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

Provenance: reported = stated by the company; estimated = our estimate; sample = a sample figure.

## Peer comparison

- [Fire Point FP-1](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/fp-1.md) (Scaling): Unit cost $55,000–75,000; Range 2,500+ km
- [STARK Virtus](https://technooptimist.io/aviation/virtus.md) (Deploy): Range 130 km+; Warhead Up to 5 kg

## About Shahed Aviation Industries

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.

- Headquarters: IR
- Status: government

Company page: https://technooptimist.io/companies/shahed-aviation-industries.md

## Related programs

Everything in Aviation: https://technooptimist.io/aviation.md

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