Before being sent to Poland, Russian drones of the Gerbera model were equipped with extra fuel tanks, increasing their range, according to Ukrainian analyst Polkovnik GSh.
In the original configuration, the drones only have one tank at the tail, but the ones that fell in Poland had an additional tank at the front, made of lightweight and flexible polymer material, resistant to vibrations and commonly used in unmanned aerial vehicles.
The Russian Ministry of Defense claimed that the drones could not reach Poland and that their maximum range is 700 km. However, Ukrainian authorities say that the extra tanks allowed the Gerbera drones to cross the Polish border via Belarus. The model is a polystyrene foam patrol munition, considered a simplified version of the Iranian Shahed-136 drone.
On August 10, these drones became the first of their type to be shot down on NATO territory. The interception involved Dutch F-35s, while the Belarusian General Staff said it had passed on information about the aircraft’s movements to Poland before the drones entered the country.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @colonel_war | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
The lie of the Russian Ministry of Defense that the Gerbera UAVs could not get to Poland territory due to the maximum range of 700 km is easily refuted by a simple comparison of the photos of the Gerbera found in Ukraine (photo 1) and those found in Poland (photos 2,3)… pic.twitter.com/qd2zBAR9w5
— Colonel War Ukraine (@colonel_war) September 10, 2025
🇵🇱 Tusk: This is the first case of Russian drones being shot down over NATO territory. All our allies are taking the situation very seriously. We have not recorded any losses. The search for the remains of the downed drones continues.
Procedures were followed, the… pic.twitter.com/RvfmwlWzU0
— Lord Bebo (@MyLordBebo) September 10, 2025
