A suspected incursion by Russian drones into Polish airspace on Wednesday has raised serious concerns, as Moscow’s war in Ukraine appears to have extended into the territory of a NATO member. According to a Polish army official, the incident involved the use of Gerbera drones.
Poland’s military command said drones repeatedly violated Polish airspace during the Russian attack across the border in Ukraine, and the defence minister said NATO command had been briefed.
Here is what we know about the Gerbera:
It is a cheap long-range drone which Ukrainian intelligence says is made of materials like plywood and foam and assembled at Russia’s vast Yelabuga facility.
It has a broad wingspan of 2.5 m, maximum weight of 18 kg, maximum speed of 160 kph, maximum range of 600 km, and small engine at the back spinning a wooden propeller, according to Ukrainian intelligence.
Ukraine and Western analysts say Russia uses the Gerbera as a cheap way to saturate Ukraine’s air defences.
It can be used as a decoy, drawing the attention of air defences away from much pricier Shahed drones, which carry powerful warheads. However, analysts say that since its introduction, other versions of the Gerbera with light warheads or reconnaissance equipment have emerged.
“Gerberas are usually employed as part of a mix of systems,” said Fabian Hinz, research fellow at the International Institute for Strategic Studies. “It therefore seems possible that the incursion featured other Unmanned Aerial Vehicle systems of which we have not yet seen debris.”
According to Ukraine, the Gerbera is assembled in Russia from kits supplied by Chinese manufacturer Skywalker Technology.
Beijing insists it is neutral in the war and denies supplying military assistance to Russia.
Ukraine’s intelligence agency also says it found electronic components from US and European manufacturers in the Gerbera, despite restrictions on exports of dual-use technologies to Russia.
(With inputs from Reuters)
