Kalashnikov Group starts supplies of quadcopter drones to Russian army.

The Kalashnikov Group has started to deliver advanced quadrotors to Russian troops, Group President Alan Lushnikov said: “We did not announce this but we are already delivering quadrotors to the army. There is a whole product line. We are already batch-producing and delivering part of them. Some are being developed and their serial production will start next year. We offer a very diverse range, namely, reconnaissance and other types. This is a very important area and we pay serious attention to it,” Lushnikov said.
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Zala Aero unveiled its Zala 421-24 quadcopter drone for the first time at MAKS 2021 international aerospace show (Picture source: Kalashnikov)

Zala 421-24 (Picture sourcAs an example, Kalashnikov Group President Alan Lushnikov cited the Zala 421-24 quadrotor produced by the Zala Aero company (part of the Kalashnikov Group within the Rostec state hi-tech corporation), which had been demonstrated at the Army 2022 international military-technical forum.

The compact folding design provides for easy assembly and quick launching in under 120 seconds. In the full configuration, the system weighs only 3.5 kg, making launching possible with the operator's hands.

The drone kit includes a fully functional handheld controller allowing to operate the unit even from a moving vehicle. The drone can stay airborne for over 30 minutes. The built-in indication system allows for monitoring the battery charge level and predicting the remaining flight time.

The Zala 421-24 has a low acoustic and visual signature. The default transceiver antenna can be supplemented with a remote one to avoid losing contact with the drone when flying it in mountainous terrain. The drone is equipped with a camera with triaxial gyrostabilization. It allows for locking and following targets, as well as recording and transmitting video in HD quality, even with a 10x zoom. The onboard computing unit is capable of transmitting and broadcasting large volumes of information in flight via an interference-protected redundant channel, which guarantees confidentiality.

According to Rostec’s data, the Zala 421-24 can operate amid electronic countermeasures and fly in complete radio silence mode.

Zala 421-24 quadcopter drone  (Picture source: Inna Sidorkova/RBC)