Gerbera: The Russian drones that infiltrated Poland are made from plywood and foam
September 12, 2025
Russia’s cheap Gerbera drones violated NATO airspace as they flew across Polish territory during a massive attack on Ukraine. Russia is forced to rely on these munitions due to the failure of its air force to secure air superiority.
At least 19 Russian drones violated NATO airspace
On September 9, several Russian one-way attack drones violated Polish airspace. Polish authorities claim the incident was not an accident from the drones veering off course, but rather was deliberate routing by Russia. For now, it remains unclear how many drones violated Polish airspace, but it seems there were at least 19.
According to Poland’s Prime Minister, Donald Tusk, at least three to four drones were shot down, and three to four more seem to have crashed by themselves over Polish territory. A spokesperson for the Polish interior minister has stated that at least seven drones and an unidentified “rocket” have been recovered.
❗️ Two more Russian drones found, several dozen kilometers from country’s capital Warsaw.
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 10, 2025
Russian drones were found in the Masovian Voivodeship, Poland. One in the Korytnica commune, the other crashed on the grounds of a Territorial Defense Force unit in Nowe Miasto nad Pilicą.… pic.twitter.com/v518IF0poJ
It is possible that debris initially categorised as “unknown origin” may be that of a NATO interceptor rocket.
Russian Gerbera drones used in the attack
From images that have so far emerged online, it appears the drones that intruded into Poland’s airspace are Gerberas. These are cheap and simple Russian drones based on the Iranian-designed Shahed-136. It is unclear where they were launched from.
According to The War Zone, Gerbera drones can be configured as kamikaze drones or as decoys. It remains unclear if the ones that flew into Poland were armed or not, and if they were, how many were armed.
It has a broad wingspan of 2.5 m, a maximum weight of 18 kg, a maximum speed of 160 kph, a maximum range of 600 km, and a small engine at the back spinning a wooden propeller, according to Ukrainian intelligence. They say it is primarily made of materials like plywood and foam.
They can be used as a decoy, drawing the attention of air defences away from much pricier Shahed drones, which carry powerful warheads. However, analysts say that since its introduction, other versions of the Gerbera with light warheads or reconnaissance equipment have emerged
Why Russia is forced to rely on Shahed-style drones
The Iranian one-way attack Shahed-136 was developed from the Israeli Harpy drone, which was in turn developed from the 1980s German Dornier DAR (Die Drohne Antiradar). Seperately, the US is also building replicas of the Shahed-136 to be used for target practice.
Ballistic missiles and cruise missiles are expensive and difficult to produce in quantity. Cheap Shahed-style drones not only provide long-range attack munitions mass, but they can also be used as decoys to allow other munitions, like cruise missiles, to reach their targets.
Russia is forced to rely on masses of one-way attack drones and stand-off missiles because, after 3.5 years of war, the Russian Air Force has failed to achieve air superiority. Russian fighter jets are unable to operate in contested airspace, something Rusi noted in the first days of the war.
During the June 2025 war between Iran and Israel, Iran also fired large numbers of one-way attack drones and missiles at Israel. By contrast, Israel established air superiority over much of Iran, allowing its air force to operate with near-impunity, something Russia is incapable of achieving over Ukraine.
Ukrainian Mi-8 intercepting Russian Shahed pic.twitter.com/CfB3NroBAR
— Special Kherson Cat 🐈🇺🇦 (@bayraktar_1love) September 11, 2025
A Shahed-style drone may cost around $20,000-50,000 ($10,000-12,000 for a decoy), depending on how it is configured. Meanwhile, a conventional air-to-air missile can cost upwards of $400 million and as much as $1 million.
To compensate, the US Air Force has hurriedly introduced a laser-guided version of the Hydra 70 rocket to its F-15s and F-16s, costing around $15,000-20,000 each.
