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Russian gunmaker Kalashnikov unveils new drone for Arctic operation

The ZALA Arctic drones are capable of successfully solving both civilian and military tasks, the manufacturer informed

IZHEVSK, December 6. /TASS/. The Kalashnikov small arms manufacturer has presented the ZALA Arctic unmanned aerial vehicle adapted for work in Arctic latitudes, the Kalashnikov Media reported on its website on Thursday.

The new system was presented at the 8th international forum, "The Arctic: the Present and the Future."

"ZALA Arctic drones are capable of successfully solving civilian and military tasks for carrying out research in the Arctic zone, providing for the safety of sea shipping and the round-the-clock protection of the perimeters, organizing the full-fledged system of tracking the Arctic coast and territorial waters," Kalashnikov Group CEO Vladimir Dmitriyev was quoted as saying.

The ZALA 421-08M and ZALA 421-16E systems are suited for their operation at considerable freezing temperatures, which makes it possible to carry out numerous surveillance operations and regularly monitor the ice situation. The ZALA Arctic equipment’s capabilities facilitate oil and gas extraction planning in the areas where accurate weather and ice situation forecasts are required, according to the data posted on the Kalashnikov Media’s website.

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ZALA drones are equipped with the AIS system capable of detecting and identifying vessels at a distance of up to 100 km, which exceeds the operational range of ground-based equipment by several times.

The user of the ZALA Arctic system gets information about each vessel: its name, size, course and speed. The drone has its own GIRSAM alternative navigation system developed specially for the navigation of both unmanned aerial vehicles and the ground-and water-based users amid the suppression or the absence of GPS or GLONASS signals.

The operators can autonomously live in the Arctic in a specially developed all-weather living module based on a marine 200-feet container. It is also designed for rational maintenance of unmanned aerial vehicles at the place of their operation.

The forum, "The Arctic: the Present and the Future," organized by the Association of Polar Explorers, runs in St. Petersburg on December 5-7. Its participants are discussing the protection of the environment in northern regions, the development of infrastructural projects, the protection of the rights of the indigenous peoples, the youth policy in the Arctic and personnel training.

The forum has brought together about 2,000 participants from the Arctic regions of Russia and more than 20 other countries, in particular, all the Arctic Council member states. The TASS news agency acts as the forum’s general information partner.

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