ZALA Aero unveils first Russian quadcopter invulnerable to electronic warfare systems.

Russia’s ZALA Aero (part of the Kalashnikov Group within the state tech corporation Rostec) has developed the country’s first quadcopter ZALA 421-24 invulnerable to electronic warfare systems, ZALA Aero Special Projects Head Nikita Khamitov told TASS during the new drone’s presentation on April 15.

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The new ZALA 421-24 quadrocopter unmanned system has a compact folding design and can remain invisible in the air due to low acoustic and visual visibility. It is controlled by a manual controller and can be operated from a driving vehicle. The ease of operation of the UAV allows you to use the unmanned system by one person (Picture source: ZALA Aero)

"We have integrated a solution on this copter that allows conducting a flight in a complete radio silence mode. We give it a point on the map, fully switch off the communications channel and GPS and send it to the coordinate. The onboard computer creates a cloud of points on the ground and makes a flight already relative to the ground. It can return from absolutely any point of its flight, if our communications or GPS are cut off," Khamitov explained.

The new quadcopter has a flight time of about 40 minutes and an operating range of around 5 km. The ZALA 421-24 can be outfitted with a video camera and a thermal imaging device, he said.

In turn, the Kalashnikov Group reported that the new copter had low acoustic and visual signature for its detection.

"The drone is operated by a hand-held controller and can also be operated from a mobile vehicle. The drone is easy to operate, which allows its operation by one person," the Kalashnikov press office informed.

ZALA Aero is a leading Russian developer and manufacturer of unmanned aerial vehicles and mobile systems. The company has been part of the Kalashnikov Group since January 2015.

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