Gerbera

The Gerbera, in service since July 2024, is a Russian multipurpose drone designed as a cheaper version of Iran’s Shahed-136.
Built from foam and plywood, it costs around $10,000 per unit nearly ten times less than the Shahed.

Roles: decoy, reconnaissance, or kamikaze
Range: 300–600 km
Speed: 160 km/h
Payload: up to 5 kg of explosives

Assembled in Russia using Chinese Skywalker Technology kits and Western electronic components, the Gerbera represents Russia’s low-cost mass-production strategy to overwhelm Ukrainian air defenses.

By 2025, several Gerbera incursions had reached Lithuanian and Polish airspace, highlighting the growing hybrid warfare threat on NATO’s eastern flank.