US firms account for over 75% of parts in examined Geran-4 controller
US companies accounted for more than three-quarters of the electronic components catalogued in a recovered Geran-4 flight controller, according to an analysis shared with Militarnyi. Texas Instruments and its subsidiary National Semiconductor accounted for more than half. The article presenting the findings argues that this dependence exposes ineffective sanctions monitoring by companies and governments.
Geran-4 onboard computer. Photo credit: 1230th Athena Engineering and Technical RegimentThe investigation was carried out by an engineer using the call sign Prop, who serves with the Ukrainian military’s 1230th Athena Engineering and Technical Regiment. The unit, part of the Armed Forces of Ukraine’s Support Forces, shared the results with Militarnyi.
The controller examined in the study was recovered from debris in Ukraine’s Poltava Region (Oblast) in 2026. Damage to the upper part of its casing left most internal boards intact, allowing the researcher to inspect their layout, markings and recurring components.
The researcher catalogued 105 electronic components, at least 80 of them from US companies – 76.19% of the total. Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor accounted for 61 components, or 58.1%.
The foreign components process navigation data, control the engine, supply power and exchange signals between circuit boards.
Serial-number markings indicate that the boards were manufactured in Alabuga, according to the analysis.
The electronics sit inside an aluminium case measuring 175 mm high, 104 mm wide and 145 mm deep. An antenna connector and two multipin Amphenol Aerospace connectors link the unit to other drone systems.
Inside, the boards form a vertical rack containing navigation and computing modules, a relay board and an interface board. Seven boards carry 32-bit Texas Instruments processors running at 150 MHz. The researcher assessed that common circuit designs reduce the range of parts required, while the modular structure simplifies production and maintenance.
The navigation board has indicators for satellite navigation, differential corrections, position, velocity, time and heading. According to the analysis, it connects to a separate board that further processes the navigation data.
China accounted for 11 components and Germany for two. One component each was attributed to companies registered in Japan, Taiwan and the Netherlands. The manufacturers of nine components could not be identified, and no Russian-made electronics were found in the examined controller.
The country breakdown follows the parent company’s place of registration. Under this approach, Intersil components were classified under Japan’s Renesas and Zetex components under the US company Diodes Incorporated.
Other US companies represented in the component list included CTS, Onsemi, Monolithic Power Systems, Qorvo, Analog Devices, Microchip and Abracon. Their components perform functions including timing, signal processing, communications and power management.
Chinese companies on the list were Yueli Electronic, Yantel, Shanghai Leiditech, Shenzhen Huazhimei Semiconductor and WCH. Their components include relays for switching electrical circuits, parts for handling radio-frequency signals, a voltage converter and a USB-to-serial interface chip.
Two power transistors identified as products of Germany’s Infineon Technologies were part of the fuel-pump control circuits. Other components included a Renesas amplifier, a voltage regulator from MediaTek subsidiary Richtek and a logic chip from STMicroelectronics, whose parent company is registered in the Netherlands. Some components had erased markings.
| Country | Виробники | Quantity of components | Share |
| USA | Texas Instruments / National Semiconductor, CTS, Onsemi, Monolithic Power Systems, Qorvo, Analog Devices, Diodes Incorporated / Zetex, Microchip, Abracon | 80 | 76,20% |
| China | Yueli Electronic, Yantel, Shanghai Leiditech, Shenzhen Huazhimei Semiconductor, WCH | 11 | 10,48% |
| Germany | Infineon Technologies | 2 | 1,90% |
| Japan | Renesas / Intersil | 1 | 0,95% |
| Taiwan | MediaTek / Richtek | 1 | 0,95% |
| Netherlands | STMicroelectronics | 1 | 0,95% |
| Unidentified | Components with an unidentified manufacturer | 9 | 8,57% |
| Total | 105 | 100% |
The researcher also estimated how demand for these components could scale with production. The article cited Ukraine’s military intelligence as putting Russian production of Geran-4/5 drones at about 3,000 a month, alongside approximately 2,800 Geran-2 drones.
Applying the examined controller’s component list to 3,000 units would imply monthly demand for 21,000 Texas Instruments processors, 42,000 CAN transceivers and 33,000 voltage regulators. In all, that would require 183,000 components from Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor each month. The calculation assumes that all 3,000 units use the same component list as the examined Geran-4 controller.
Using distributors’ retail prices, the researchers put the estimated monthly value of the Texas Instruments and National Semiconductor components required under this scenario at about €1.4 million.
However, the estimate was based on distributors’ retail prices. Actual purchase prices and intermediaries’ share of the final cost remain unknown.
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