Ukraine Unveils Gerbera 2 Drone Like the One Found in Poland

Ukraine's military intelligence has presented a new version of the Russian Gerbera 2 combat drone, which it says is far more capable on the battlefield than its predecessor. The directorate at Ukraine's defense ministry announced the details on Monday via Telegram.

According to the agency, Russia has substantially modified the Gerbera aircraft, which were originally developed as decoys meant to overload air defenses. The new variant has a wingspan of 3 m and a fuselage length of 2.6 m. A new 63-litre fuel tank gives it a range of up to 1,200 km and lets it carry a warhead of up to 25 kg.

Link to the drone found in Poland

Intelligence officials say the extended range suggests the drone's area of use may reach beyond Ukrainian territory. They add that a Gerbera 2 fitted with a warhead is the type discovered in mid-September on the Baltic coast in Poland.

Poland's defense minister, Władysław Kosiniak-Kamysz, said at the time on X that the military had located and recovered a drone from the Baltic Sea near the beach at Rusinowo, close to Jarosławiec. Initial examination indicated a Russian military unmanned aircraft, which he said was most likely lost by Russia during manoeuvres over the Baltic.

Technical details

The new version uses a two-cylinder, two-stroke engine, which Ukrainian intelligence describes as effectively half of the engine used in the Geran-2. Production is located in Alabuga, Russia. The examined unit also carried a dual IP camera mounted on the fuselage above the fuel tank, used to detect interceptor drones.

According to the agency, most components in the new Gerbera come from China and the United States.

The disclosure shows how quickly Russia is turning cheap decoy drones into longer-range strike weapons, and why a single airframe washing up on a NATO member's coast draws close attention.