Geran-5 and Geran-4: Chinese Telefly small turbojets power Russia's jet drones

The Geran-5 and the Geran-4 mark the step from the Iranian-derived Shahed family to faster jet-powered missiles: with these two jet drones, Russia has further developed the series. Propulsion comes from two small turbojets made by the Chinese company Telefly, which is headquartered in Shenzhen.

In its design, the Geran-5 unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) follows a classic cruise missile but can be produced considerably more cheaply and in larger numbers. The wholesale price of the Telefly TF-TJ2000A engine is estimated at 30,000 euros.

Both turbines – the LX-WP-160 and the more powerful TF-TJ2000A – significantly raise the drones' speed and altitude, leaving Ukrainian air defence less reaction time. According to Ukraine's military intelligence service DIU, the LX-WP-160, which is no longer in production, delivers 160 kilograms-force of thrust, around 1,600 newtons; it was identified in wreckage of the Geran-4. Other examples of this drone contain the TF-TJ2000A, which delivers 200 kilograms-force or around 1,960 newtons. This more powerful engine also propels the larger Geran-5.

For the Geran-4, the airframe was reinforced and aerodynamically revised: the wings are fixed to the fuselage, and there are fewer maintenance hatches – both intended to reduce drag and structural loads. According to the DIU, the drone manoeuvres at 300 to 400 km/h and briefly reaches up to 500 km/h. A range of 450 kilometres was published initially; other Ukrainian data sets assume up to 770 or 850 kilometres. Different engines, payloads and flight profiles could explain these discrepancies.

Geran-5: carbon-fibre airframe with a range of up to 950 kilometres

In the Geran-5, the TF-TJ2000A serves as the basis of a considerably larger system. The drone weighs around 850 kilograms at take-off; Ukrainian findings cite a cruising speed of between 450 and 600 km/h and a range of up to 950 kilometres. Fuselage, wings and tail are made predominantly of carbon fibre; aluminium and steel form the load-bearing structure.

On its own website, Telefly advertises the TF-TJ2000 as “compact, reliable and highly efficient”, names advanced UAVs, experimental aircraft and target drones as possible applications and offers international wholesale. This open marketing makes the dual-use character of such small turbines plain. However, the TF-TJ2000 is by now no longer available from the Chinese wholesaler Alibaba. The bulk of production is now likely to go to a single customer: the Alabuga drone manufacturing complex in Tartastan, Russia. Production numbers are likely to already exceed 2,000 units per month.

The two Telefly engines compared

• LX-WP-160 – small turbojet from Telefly (China) with 160 kgf of thrust, equivalent to around 1,600 N; found in the Geran-4; production discontinued according to the DIU; the less powerful version of the Geran-4; evidenced by Ukrainian wreckage analysis
• TF-TJ2000A – small turbojet from Telefly (China) with 200 kgf of thrust, equivalent to around 1,960 N; found in the Geran-4 and Geran-5; commercially advertised; the more powerful variant of the Geran-4 and the standard engine of the Geran-5; evidenced by Ukrainian wreckage analysis and manufacturer data

Civilian products diverted to military use – an argument Beijing no longer has

In the case of DJI drones, Beijing could still point with some credibility to products intended for the civilian market being diverted to military use. That argument can no longer be made: the quantity of these engines and other components – such as frequency-hopping modems or CRPA antennas with twelve or more elements – demonstrates industrial production clearly aimed at military use.

Beijing is aware that Russia is manufacturing offensive weapons from the components supplied – weapons that are being used in the war of conquest against Ukraine in Eastern Europe and could equally be deployed against Western Europe, the USA or Taiwan. The Russian milblogger Rybar recently published graphics illustrating the ranges of the jet drones: from Algeria to France, from Russia to Poland, from Mexico to the USA, from India to Pakistan or from China to Taiwan.

Ce genre de propagande russe est assez ridicule, loin de la réalité et de l’état de la menace. Voici donc, l’état réel de la menace 🇷🇺 des drones Geran :
🔸Il y a à l’heure actuelle 15 sites de lancements fixes pour les drones Geran (dont la moitié lancent les Geran-4/5 à… https://t.co/AC4SDyTBX2 pic.twitter.com/8FCjmEPwfU— Clément Molin (@clement_molin) September 19, 2026

The analyst Clément Molin clearly regards Rybar's graphics as “fairly ridiculous Russian propaganda”; they are “far removed from reality and the actual state of the threat”. The maps, Molin says, “serve above all to stoke fear”.

Die Ukraine verfügt über strahlgetriebene Abfangdrohnen die schnell genug sind um Geran-5 einzuholen und abzufangen.#WarOfDrones pic.twitter.com/ne42pjipyb— Martin Rosenkranz🇦🇹🇪🇺🇺🇳🇺🇦🇮🇱 (@MartinRosenkra3) September 20, 2026

From the Ukrainian perspective, the jet engines above all shift the intercept geometry: a Geran-4 can barely be caught by electric interceptor drones in a direct pursuit, a Geran-5 not at all. Ukraine, for its part, has already fielded new models of interceptor drones. Most recently, the Ukrainian electronic warfare specialist Serhii “Flash” confirmed that the defence system works against the jet-powered Geran-5 and that its speed is sufficient for various targets in this category. Videos from the Ukrainian military intelligence service SBU show a jet-powered interceptor UAV with a delta wing taking off.