ZALA Lancet attack drone. © Marina Lystseva/TASS
Russia’s defense giant Kalashnikov set up a new drone manufacturing unit and is planning to increase production several fold, the group’s President Alan Lushnikov announced on March 28, according to the TASS news agency.
“We have set up a division of unmanned aerial vehicles. We have consolidated all of our capacities on their development and production and are expanding output several-fold,” Lushnikov said.
The new unit will produce ground-based drone launch and control capabilities and all that is necessary for the effective operation of unmanned aerial vehicles, Kalashnikov president added.
Kalashnikov’s main drone division, the ZALA Aero Group, produces several advanced systems, including the ZALA 421-16 series of tactical reconnaissance drones and the Lancet loitering munition.
The ZALA 421-16ЕM, which has an endurance of 2,5 hours and an operational range of 25-50 kilometers, and the larger ZALA 421-16Е2, which has an endurance of over four hours and and operational range of 30 kilometers, are already being mass produced for the Russian military. Both versions can be equipped with high-definition electro-optical reconnaissance systems.
The company also mass produces two versions of the Lancet, the Izdeliye-52 with an endurance of 30 minutes and a one-kilogram warhead and the larger Izdeliye-51 that has an endurance of 40 minutes and is armed with a warhead weighting three kilograms. Both versions are equipped with an electro-optical targeting system that can detect, track and lock on static and moving targets.
The drones produced by Kalashnikov have been playing a key role in the ongoing Russian special military operation in Ukraine.
ZALA 421-16 series drones penetrate Ukrainian air defenses to conduct intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance missions behind the frontline on a daily basis. On the other hand, Lancet loitering munitions have scored more than 280 hits against weapons and military equipment of Kiev forces since the start of the special operation.
