Examination of Russian "Hera-4" jet drone reveals Chinese engine and Western components
Journalists from Radio Liberty's "Skhemy" project examined an intact Russian "Hera-4" jet-powered kamikaze drone, documenting its technical specifications, foreign-made parts, and evasion features. The drone, used in mass attacks on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, is assembled at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan and relies on a Chinese TG-2000 turbojet engine along with components from Chinese and Western manufacturers.
Key points
- The "Hera-4" is a Russian jet-powered kamikaze drone used in mass attacks on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, assembled at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan.
- The drone is powered by a Chinese TG-2000 turbojet engine, marketed as a civilian product for model aviation and sports, with a reported operating life of 30 hours.
- The TG-2000 engine costs roughly $20,000–$25,000 in China, compared to about $65,000 on Ukrainian classifieds sites.
- The drone can reportedly reach altitudes of up to 8 km and speeds of 450–500 km/h, with a documented range exceeding 700 km.
- The warhead weighs up to 90 kilograms, and the drone carries a camera with day, night, infrared channels, 10x optical zoom, and 32x digital zoom.
- The drone contains foreign components predominantly from China but also from Western countries, including Texas Instruments chips on onboard computer boards.
- A 16-channel CRPA antenna and slots for GSM modems with SIM cards complicate Ukrainian electronic warfare and air defense efforts.
Why it matters
The examination provides open-source documentation of an upgraded Russian attack drone deployed against a European capital, revealing its reliance on foreign — including Chinese and Western — components despite Russian assembly. It highlights evasion features such as CRPA antennas and GSM modem slots that challenge Ukrainian air defense and electronic warfare, while offering evidence of Chinese-engine involvement in a weapons platform used against civilian targets.
What happened
Journalists from Radio Liberty's "Skhemy" project, together with specialists, examined an intact "Hera-4" jet-powered kamikaze drone recovered after Russian attacks. The drone is assembled at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, Russia, and is powered by a Chinese TG-2000 turbojet engine. The TG-2000, marketed as a civilian engine for model aviation and sports, has an operating life of 30 hours and costs between $20,000 and $25,000 in China and around $65,000 on Ukrainian classifieds sites.
The examination showed the drone can reach altitudes of up to 8 km and speeds of 450–500 km/h, with a documented flight from Crimea to Lutsk suggesting a range exceeding 700 km. It carries a warhead weighing up to 90 kg and is equipped with a camera featuring day, night, and infrared channels, 10x optical zoom, and 32x digital zoom. Operators can guide the drone in real time via a Chinese Mesh-modem and SIM cards — specialists found SIM cards from Ukrainian, Russian, Kazakhstani, and some EU operators in recent drone interceptions.
The drone contains foreign components predominantly from China but also from Western countries, including Texas Instruments chips on its onboard computer boards. A 16-channel CRPA antenna and a slot for GSM modems (the examined unit had two modems with different SIM cards) make it harder for Ukrainian electronic warfare systems to jam. A factory marking on the camera slot cover reads "Mini-butbrod" in Russian. The article references mass drone attacks on Kyiv and Kyiv Oblast, including on the night of September 18.
Where reporting differs
The reported cost of the TG-2000 engine differs sharply between markets: roughly $20,000–$25,000 in China versus about $65,000 on Ukrainian classifieds sites.
Background
The "Hera-4" is a jet-propelled variant of the Shahed-type kamikaze drones Russia has deployed in mass attacks on Ukrainian cities. It is assembled at the Alabuga special economic zone in Tatarstan, Russia. The Chinese TG-2000 engine used in the drone is marketed as a civilian product for model aviation and sports.