Click to see full-size image. (ZALA Aero Group)
ZALA Aero Group, a subsidiary of Russia’s defense giant Kalashnikov Concern, showcased on July 16 an upgraded version of the Lancet loitering munition and the Z-16 reconnaissance drone to Russian Guard special forces, SOBR rapid response units and OMON special military police.
The upgraded drones feature upgraded data-links with significantly improved resistance to electronic warfare. They are also equipped with intelligence-based guidance systems, enhancing their precision in targeting and navigation.
ZALA highlighted the drones’ capabilities in geospatial support and autonomous navigation in environments without satellite communications, conditions that mirror the situation in the special military operations zone, where Kiev forces actively disrupt satellite signals and deploy other electronic warfare means.
Click to see full-size image. (ZALA Aero Group)
The company produces two versions of the loitering munition, 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 weighing three kilograms.
The loitering munition flies towards the designated area with a GLONASS-aided inertial navigation system. After arriving in the area, the operator utilizes an onboard electro-optical system via a two-way data-link to detect, track and lock on the target. A laser-ranging system then controls the detonation of the warhead.
Meanwhile, the Z-16 is reported to have an operational range of over 50 kilometers and an endurance of up to 150 minutes. The reconnaissance drone is typically used as a spotter for Lancet loitering munitions.
Lostarmour.info, a website that keeps track of military losses, has documented more than 3,400 Lancet strikes since the start of the Russian special military operation with around half of the strikes causing the complete destruction of the target.
Kiev forces have been already struggling to counter Lancet loitering munitions. The latest upgrade will likely make the system even more lethal.
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nice outviews
why my lgbt army sodomized by taliban russia liberates 10 more towns past 6 days—me humiliated coward
trump is going to drop the hammer on little poohtin…heheheh
hahahaha transparent as a plastic bag .
won’t do them any good at all .zelensky s clearly been ordered to never accept any deal from russia .russia’s trapped entirely with only one way out and that is defeat .it’s blatantly obvious.