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Comparison

Generic FPV (5-7 inch) vs Shahed-136 / Geran-2

They are the two drones most associated with the war in Ukraine, but they play in different leagues. A generic 5–7 inch FPV is about 30 centimetres across, flies some 10 km and carries around 1.5 kg; the Shahed-136 spans 2.5 metres, has an estimated 2,000 km range and a warhead of about 50 kg. One is a frontline tactical weapon; the other a long-range strike weapon. Both sets of figures are indicative or estimated.

Shahed-136 / Geran-2 is 8.3 times larger than Generic FPV (5-7 inch)

Reference range: a 200× difference.

Size to scale

8.2 ft
Generic top views by type, scaled to wingspan (or diagonal for multirotors); they do not reproduce each model.

Reference range

Generic FPV (5-7 inch) * — 10 km

Shahed-136 / Geran-2 * — 2,000 km

Logarithmic scale from 1 km to 100,000 km.

Payload or warhead

Generic FPV (5-7 inch) * — 1.5 kg

Shahed-136 / Geran-2 * — 50 kg

Logarithmic scale from 1 kg to 10,000 kg.

Generic FPV (5-7 inch) *

0.3 m · 10 km · 1.5 kg

Generic model: indicative figures for the typical range seen in Ukraine, per RUSI reporting; they vary widely.

Shahed-136 / Geran-2 *

2.5 m · 2,000 km · 50 kg

Iranian one-way attack drone; range and warhead are open-source and government estimates.

* Open-source estimate. Range may be control-link, flight or ferry range depending on the system; it is not a combat radius.

Figures used and how reliable they are

  • Generic FPV (5-7 inch)*: 0.3 m, 10 km, 1.5 kg. Generic model: indicative figures for the typical range seen in Ukraine, per RUSI reporting; they vary widely.
  • Shahed-136 / Geran-2*: 2.5 m, 2,000 km, 50 kg. Iranian one-way attack drone; range and warhead are open-source and government estimates.

* Generic FPV (5-7 inch) and Shahed-136 / Geran-2: estimated or disputed figure; it does not come from a verifiable official data sheet and should be read as indicative.

Related comparisons

Compare any other pair in the military drone comparison, with its full method. More context: Modern warfare · Weapons · All tools

Sources / References

  • U.S. Air Force official fact sheets for the MQ-1, MQ-9 and RQ-4.
  • Baykar, AeroVironment and Teledyne FLIR public product sheets.
  • RUSI reports on drone use in Ukraine.
  • CSIS and IISS open-source analysis of Shahed, Lancet and Orlan.