The name map: lineage is not identical equipment
- Solid line: an established name pairing
- Dotted line: related jet family, equipment varies
- Separate boxes: no direct Iranian name equivalent established
In this table, only the nomenclatures and capabilities of the Iranian versions are provided.OSMP and Oryx pair Shahed-131 with Geran-1 and Shahed-136 with Geran-2. CAR physically examined Russian Geran-2 remnants in July 2023 and assessed them as a domestic version of Shahed-136. The name can therefore describe a design lineage without fixing the factory, equipment or production batch.[1][19][20]
CSIS uses Geran-3 as an alternate name for the Shahed-238 jet family. GUR’s 16 September 2025 examination concerns a Russian U-series configuration with a Telefly JT80 turbojet. This does not establish one engine or one set of specifications for every Shahed-238 or Geran-3.[6][16]
Geran-4 and Geran-5 are distinct Russian jet designations. GUR describes a revised delta airframe for Geran-4 and a different layout for Geran-5, comparing the latter with Iran’s Karrar. ISW’s 11 January 2026 assessment explicitly relies on GUR for the first-use claim. Neither number proves an Iranian “Shahed-4” or “Shahed-5”.[4][8][10][14]
Garpiya-A1 is a separate programme attributed to IEMZ Kupol in Reuters’ 13 September 2024 investigation. Reuters cited European intelligence sources and documents, and said it could not independently confirm the supplied wreckage images. A resemblance to Shahed does not make Garpiya another established Geran number.[5]
Shahed is also used for reusable aircraft. Iran Watch lists Shahed-129 as multipurpose; Insikt describes Shahed-149 Gaza as turboprop powered. Janes analysed the Gaza unveiling in May 2021. These aircraft are not Geran-1 or Geran-2, and a count of guided bombs is not a one-way drone’s warhead mass.[12][13][15]
| Iranian designation | Russian designation | Propulsion | Warhead or role | Size or airframe change | Guidance evidence |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahed-131[20] | Geran-1[20] | Rotary engine, propeller[2] | 10 to 20 kg, OSMP estimate[20] | Smaller than Shahed-136[20] | Satellite navigation described by OSMP; other guidance equipment not established here[20] |
| Shahed-136[20] | Geran-2[20] | Piston engine, propeller[20] | Original: 20 to 50 kg, CSIS; up to 90 kg on later Russian versions, OSMP[2][20] | Larger than Shahed-131[20] | Baseline: inertial and satellite navigation; later equipment varies[4][20][22] |
| Shahed-238[16] | Geran-3: related jet family; not identical equipment[16] | Turbojet; configuration varies[16] | Family reports: 50 to 90 kg; not a U-series finding[16] | CSIS describes a jet development of Shahed-136[16] | Several guidance versions reported; a report must name its configuration[16] |
| Shahed-238 lineage, according to GUR[6] | Geran-3 / U[6] | Telefly JT80[6] | Not established[6] | Not established[6] | Baseline: inertial and satellite navigation; later equipment varies[6] |
| No Iranian equivalent established[7][8] | Geran-4[7][8] | Turbojet; configuration varies[7][8] | GUR catalogue baseline: 90 kg[7][8] | Revised delta airframe, GUR; conflicting published dimensions[7][8] | GUR lists navigation components; October changes are separate[7][8] |
| No Iranian equivalent established[9] | Geran-4, October 2026 modification[9] | GUR: Russian-made turbojet replaces Telefly[9] | GUR reports a new warhead; mass not established here[9] | Not established[9] | GUR: optical navigation added; no independent accuracy test here[9] |
| GUR compares Karrar; exact equivalence not established[10] | Geran-5[10] | Telefly jet, according to GUR[10] | About 90 kg, GUR claim[10] | Different airframe layout; not another numbered Shahed-136[10] | Satellite navigation reported by GUR; equipment is configuration specific[10] |
| No Iranian equivalent established[5] | Garpiya-A1[5] | Piston engine, propeller[5] | Not established[5] | Separate Kupol programme reported by Reuters; resemblance is not equivalence[5] | Not established[5] |
| Shahed-129[13] | No Russian designation established[13] | Piston engine, propeller[13] | Reusable reconnaissance and strike aircraft[13] | Not established[13] | Not established[13] |
| Shahed-149 Gaza[12][15] | No Russian designation established[12][15] | Turboprop, Insikt[12][15] | Reusable reconnaissance and strike aircraft[12][15] | Janes: photographic size estimates, not measured dimensions[12][15] | Not established[12][15] |
A sourced timeline
Shahed-131: RUSI’s January 2023 retrospective identifies the smaller type with the September 2019 Saudi oil-facility attack. This is a later identification of early use, not a contemporaneous public report bearing that model name.[2][22]
Shahed-136: RUSI dates Iran’s public unveiling to December 2021. The reviewed evidence does not establish a single uncontested date for its first combat use worldwide.[22]
Geran-1 in Russian service: Oryx’s November 2022 list says “Before October 2022”. This provides a service-date bound; this review has not established an exact first-use day.[19]
Geran-2 in Ukraine: CSIS’s September 2026 study dates the first publicly documented Shahed-136 use to wreckage recovered on 13 September 2022. That documents use by that date, not necessarily the first launch.[4]
Russian production: CAR’s August 2023 dispatch reports physical examinations of Geran-2 remnants used in July 2023. CAR assessed that Russia had begun fielding a domestic version of Shahed-136.[1]
Shahed-238: CSIS dates the public unveiling to 2023. Militarnyi’s 9 January 2024 report tentatively identified recovered jet-drone debris as Shahed-238; CSIS’s later study also places early use in Ukraine in January 2024. This does not establish that those remains were a Russian JT80 Geran-3.[4][16][17]
Garpiya-A1: Reuters reported deployment in Ukraine on 13 September 2024, citing European intelligence sources. Reuters did not independently confirm their wreckage images or establish the exact first combat-use date.[5]
Geran-3: Gwara’s June 2026 retrospective places the first official attack reports in June 2025. GUR’s dated U-series examination followed on 16 September 2025. A later first-use claim for one city must not replace the earlier countrywide reporting.[6][11]
Geran-5: on 11 January 2026, GUR said the first use occurred in early January. ISW repeated that attribution the same day. This is a reported first-use interval, not independently confirmed combat performance.[10][14]
Geran-4: GUR’s 25 May 2026 announcement says combat use began in May 2026, distinguishing it from earlier tests. An exact first attack day is not established in this review.[8]
Geran-4 October modification: GUR’s 5 October 2026 publication says the new version began use that autumn. The publication date is not an exact first-use date, and the baseline catalogue’s numbers are not automatically assigned to it.[9]
What is established, and what is claimed?
| How to read it | Evidence and limits |
|---|---|
| Reported evidence; limits explicit | OSMP and Oryx pair Shahed-131 with Geran-1 and Shahed-136 with Geran-2. CAR physically examined Russian Geran-2 remnants in July 2023 and assessed them as a domestic version of Shahed-136. The name can therefore describe a design lineage without fixing the factory, equipment or production batch.[1][19][20] |
| Attributed party claim | CSIS uses Geran-3 as an alternate name for the Shahed-238 jet family. GUR’s 16 September 2025 examination concerns a Russian U-series configuration with a Telefly JT80 turbojet. This does not establish one engine or one set of specifications for every Shahed-238 or Geran-3.[6][16] |
| Attributed party claim | GUR’s current Geran-4 catalogue and its 25 May 2026 announcement disagree on range, speed and dimensions. We retain the catalogue baseline used by our type page and do not combine the two into a best-case specification. GUR’s 5 October update reports different propulsion, a new warhead and optical navigation. RFE/RL’s September teardown corroborates a jet airframe, not independently measured performance.[7][8][9][21] |
| Reported evidence; limits explicit | Garpiya-A1 is a separate programme attributed to IEMZ Kupol in Reuters’ 13 September 2024 investigation. Reuters cited European intelligence sources and documents, and said it could not independently confirm the supplied wreckage images. A resemblance to Shahed does not make Garpiya another established Geran number.[5] |
| Reported evidence; limits explicit | Read the noun and its source together. “Shahed-type” or “Geran” may name a family; an attributed “Geran-3” report names what that source identified. A sound, silhouette, colour or the word “jet” alone does not establish the variant, warhead or guidance. An examination can support the recovered specimen, but cannot identify every aircraft in a mixed attack.[1][6][20] |
Range, speed, warhead and dimensions
The table reuses the catalogue’s sourced figures where available. They are estimates or source declarations, not DroneLedger flight tests. Range is not a guaranteed operating radius. A warhead figure does not establish the reusable aircraft’s total payload. “Not established” means this review does not support a value for that configuration.[2][6][7][13][15][16]
CSIS’s June 2026 profile gives about 180 km/h for Shahed-131/136. GUR reports 300 to 370 km/h for Geran-3 U-series in September 2025. CSIS lists a broader 300 to 600 km/h interval for the Shahed-238 family; it is not a measured speed for every Russian jet. Iran Watch separately lists 175 km/h for the reusable Shahed-129.[2][6][13][16]
CSIS lists an estimated 1,000 to 2,500 km for Shahed-136 and 700 to 1,000 km for Shahed-131 in its June 2026 profile. GUR’s September 2025 Geran-3 U-series account says up to 1,000 km. These are different configurations and evidence types; they do not give a single range for anything called “Shahed”.[2][6]
GUR’s current Geran-4 catalogue and its 25 May 2026 announcement disagree on range, speed and dimensions. We retain the catalogue baseline used by our type page and do not combine the two into a best-case specification. GUR’s 5 October update reports different propulsion, a new warhead and optical navigation. RFE/RL’s September teardown corroborates a jet airframe, not independently measured performance.[7][8][9][21]
| Variant and evidence | Range | Speed | Warhead mass | Length | Wingspan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Shahed-131 / Geran-1 · CSIS estimates; dimensions and warhead also OSMP[2][20] | 700 to 1000 km[2] | About 180 km/h[2] | 10 to 20 kg, OSMP estimate[20] | 2.6 m[20] | 2.2 m[20] |
| Shahed-136 / Geran-2 · original baseline, CSIS June 2026 estimates[2] | 1000 to 2500 km[2] | About 180 km/h[2] | 20 to 50 kg[2] | 3.3 to 3.5 m[2] | 2.5 to 3 m[2] |
| Shahed-238 · broad family, CSIS June 2026; not Geran-3 U[16] | Not established[16] | 300 to 600 km/h[16] | 50 to 90 kg[16] | About 3.5 m[16] | About 3 m[16] |
| Geran-3 / U · GUR claim, 16 September 2025[6] | Up to 1000 km, estimated operating range[6] | 300 to 370 km/h[6] | Not established[6] | Not established[6] | Not established[6] |
| Geran-4 · GUR catalogue baseline; conflicting announcement[7] | 770 km[7] | 320 km/h cruise; up to 450 km/h maximum[7] | 90 kg[7] | 3.6 m[7] | 3.05 m[7] |
| Geran-4 · October 2026 modification, separate GUR claim[9] | Not established[9] | Not established[9] | Not established[9] | Not established[9] | Not established[9] |
| Geran-5 · GUR claim, 11 January 2026[10] | About 1000 km[10] | Not established[10] | About 90 kg[10] | About 6 m[10] | Up to 5.5 m[10] |
| Garpiya-A1 · contract reported by Reuters, 13 September 2024[5] | Up to 1500 km[5] | Not established[5] | Not established[5] | Not established[5] | Not established[5] |
| Shahed-129 · reusable; Iran Watch reported speed[13] | Not established[13] | 175 km/h[13] | Not established[13] | Not established[13] | Not established[13] |
| Shahed-149 Gaza · reusable; Janes photographic estimates, 2021[15] | Not established[15] | Not established[15] | Not established[15] | About 11 m[15] | About 20 m[15] |
How to tell them apart in reporting
Read the noun and its source together. “Shahed-type” or “Geran” may name a family; an attributed “Geran-3” report names what that source identified. A sound, silhouette, colour or the word “jet” alone does not establish the variant, warhead or guidance. An examination can support the recovered specimen, but cannot identify every aircraft in a mixed attack.[1][6][20]
Our linked October 2026 Dnipropetrovsk dossier records an emergency-service identification of a recovered warhead as Geran-4, reported by Ukrinform. It is a party identification, not a model assignment for separate attacks in the article. Gwara’s June 2026 article describes an April “first” Geran-3 strike in Kharkiv, not the first use anywhere in Ukraine.[3][11]
What we do not know
Questions left open by this source review:
- Which exact engines, warheads and guidance packages were present on every production batch?
- Which conflicting Geran-4 specification describes which specimen, load and date?
- What were the exact first-use dates for Garpiya, Geran-1 and each jet configuration?
- Which published performance figures have independent flight-test evidence for the stated configuration?
Frequently asked questions
Is Geran-2 the same as Shahed-136?
Shahed-136 is an Iranian one-way attack drone. Geran-2 is its Russian designation, also used for versions made and modified in Russia. Shahed-131 corresponds to Geran-1. Jet propulsion, new airframes and changes to warheads or guidance account for other names; a higher number does not establish a direct Iranian equivalent.[1][4][20]
OSMP and Oryx pair Shahed-131 with Geran-1 and Shahed-136 with Geran-2. CAR physically examined Russian Geran-2 remnants in July 2023 and assessed them as a domestic version of Shahed-136. The name can therefore describe a design lineage without fixing the factory, equipment or production batch.[1][19][20]
What is Geran-3?
CSIS uses Geran-3 as an alternate name for the Shahed-238 jet family. GUR’s 16 September 2025 examination concerns a Russian U-series configuration with a Telefly JT80 turbojet. This does not establish one engine or one set of specifications for every Shahed-238 or Geran-3.[6][16]
How fast is a Shahed?
CSIS’s June 2026 profile gives about 180 km/h for Shahed-131/136. GUR reports 300 to 370 km/h for Geran-3 U-series in September 2025. CSIS lists a broader 300 to 600 km/h interval for the Shahed-238 family; it is not a measured speed for every Russian jet. Iran Watch separately lists 175 km/h for the reusable Shahed-129.[2][6][13][16]
How far can a Shahed fly?
CSIS lists an estimated 1,000 to 2,500 km for Shahed-136 and 700 to 1,000 km for Shahed-131 in its June 2026 profile. GUR’s September 2025 Geran-3 U-series account says up to 1,000 km. These are different configurations and evidence types; they do not give a single range for anything called “Shahed”.[2][6]
What engine does Geran-3 use?
CSIS uses Geran-3 as an alternate name for the Shahed-238 jet family. GUR’s 16 September 2025 examination concerns a Russian U-series configuration with a Telefly JT80 turbojet. This does not establish one engine or one set of specifications for every Shahed-238 or Geran-3.[6][16]
What is the difference between Geran-4 and Geran-5?
Geran-4 and Geran-5 are distinct Russian jet designations. GUR describes a revised delta airframe for Geran-4 and a different layout for Geran-5, comparing the latter with Iran’s Karrar. ISW’s 11 January 2026 assessment explicitly relies on GUR for the first-use claim. Neither number proves an Iranian “Shahed-4” or “Shahed-5”.[4][8][10][14]
GUR’s current Geran-4 catalogue and its 25 May 2026 announcement disagree on range, speed and dimensions. We retain the catalogue baseline used by our type page and do not combine the two into a best-case specification. GUR’s 5 October update reports different propulsion, a new warhead and optical navigation. RFE/RL’s September teardown corroborates a jet airframe, not independently measured performance.[7][8][9][21]
Is Garpiya another name for Shahed?
Garpiya-A1 is a separate programme attributed to IEMZ Kupol in Reuters’ 13 September 2024 investigation. Reuters cited European intelligence sources and documents, and said it could not independently confirm the supplied wreckage images. A resemblance to Shahed does not make Garpiya another established Geran number.[5]
Sources and exact excerpts
Short excerpts show what a source says; they do not independently verify its claims. Dates retain the precision available in the source. AI-assisted source reading and drafting; no independent performance testing.
- Conflict Armament Research ↗
In July 2023
physically documented the remnants of two Geran-2
producing and fielding its own domestic version of the Shahed-136
- CSIS Missile Threat ↗
1,000 – 2,500 km
700 – 1,000 km
3.3-3.5 meters
2.5-3 meters
20 kg to 50 kg
180 km per hour
- Ukrinform, citing State Emergency Service of Ukraine ↗
Бойову частину БПЛА «Герань-4» передали піротехнічному підрозділу Дніпропетровщини для подальшого знешкодження.
- CSIS ↗
on September 13
deployed in Ukraine as early as January 2024
a continuously evolving platform
Geran-4 and Geran-5
- Reuters via Investing.com ↗
Garpiya-A1
IEMZ Kupol
unable to confirm the images independently
maximum range of 1,500 kilometres
Limbach L-550 E engines
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine / GUR ↗
Telefly JT80
від 300 до 370 км/год
до 1000 км
серії “У”
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine / GUR ↗
3.6 m
3.05 m
90 kg
450 km/h
320 km/h
770 km
Turbojet engine
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine / GUR ↗
У травні 2026 року противник розпочав їх бойове застосування
до 450 кілометрів
до 500 км/год
3,5 метра в довжину і 3 метри в ширину
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine / GUR ↗
a new version of russian Geran-4 jet-powered UAVs
The Chinese Telefly turbojet engine has been replaced by a russian-made equivalent
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine / GUR ↗
На початку 2026 року
близько 6 метрів
до 5,5 метра
близько 90 кг
близько 1 000 км
Telefly
Karrar
- Gwara Media ↗
The official reports on the Geran-3 attacks on Ukraine
appeared
in June 2025.
On Apr. 2, according to the Kharkiv city council
- Recorded Future / Insikt Group ↗
Shahed-129
the turboprop
engine-powered Shahed-149 Gaza
- Wisconsin Project / Iran Watch ↗
In this table, only the nomenclatures and capabilities of the Iranian versions are provided.
Shahed-129
Multipurpose
175 km/h
piston
- Institute for the Study of War ↗
The Ukrainian Main Military Intelligence Directorate (GUR) reported on January 11
sometime between January 1 and 11
- Janes ↗
approximately 11 m in length
a wingspan of about 20 m
dimensions relative to the personnel assembling the vehicle
- CSIS Missile Threat ↗
3.5 m
3 m
50 – 90 kg
300 – 600 km per hour
First officially unveiled in 2023
- Militarnyi ↗
it is likely that the Ukrainian air defense system shot down a Shahed-238
presented in three versions with different guidance systems
- Ukrinform, citing Ministry of Defence of Moldova ↗
у селі Киштельниця Теленештського району впав ударний безпілотник РФ «Герань-4»
- Oryx ↗
Shahed-131 ''Geran-1''
[Before October 2022]
Shahed-136 ''Geran-2''
[Before September 2022]
- ARES / Open Source Munitions Portal ↗
Length of 2.6 metres, wingspan of 2.2 metres.
10 to 20 kg
up to 90 kg
Geran-1
Geran-2
- RFE/RL / Schemes ↗
RFE/RL takes apart a Russian Geran-4 drone
its turbojet engine and advanced camera
- RUSI ↗
In September 2019
now known as the Shahed 131
in December 2021
finally unveiled
inertial navigation system together with GPS and GLONASS