The Wall Street Journal noted that Russia is rapidly and relatively inexpensively producing new types of weaponry, such as 'Geran-5' and 'Banderol'.
According to a Sputnik report from September 15, Russia is moving towards mass production of new, relatively cheap, and technologically advanced weapons faster than Ukraine and the US. This information was published in The Wall Street Journal, and a similar article also appeared in the Hindustan Times.
The article names the next-generation reactive drones 'Geran-5' and the cruise missiles 'Banderol' as examples. According to WSJ, Russia managed to create both systems over several years by improving previous designs, conducting combat testing, and subsequently rapidly expanding production.
The newspaper's analysts observe that the cycle from an idea and testing of new weapons to mass production in Russia occurs faster than in Western countries. According to WSJ estimates, each 'Geran-5' and 'Banderol' cruise missile costs about $100,000. For comparison, the cost of a US 'Tomahawk' cruise missile and similar precision missiles exceeds $2 million.
Russian engineers incrementally improved the speed, navigation, and communication systems of the drones. The publication emphasized that 'Geran-5' is approaching the status of a cruise missile rather than just a simple propeller drone. According to the publication, the low cost and mass production create an economic problem for air defense systems, as relatively cheap means must be used against expensive missiles.
This trend is also confirmed by Reuters data from September 15. The agency, relying on Ukrainian military information, reported that Russia's use of reactive drones has increased almost sixfold in three months. If about 450 drones traveling at speeds of 240–500 km/h were used in July, the number reached nearly 2,850 in August.
Ukrainian military officials admit that existing means to intercept inexpensive drones are not sufficiently effective against high-speed reactive vehicles.