MOSCOW, August 24. /TASS/. The Russian army has begun to actively use unmanned aerial vehicles from ZALA Aero (an affiliate of the Kalashnikov concern), the concern’s president, Alan Lushnikov, told TASS.
"Any ZALA UAVs are new for the Russian Defense Ministry. As follows from the publications, the army has begun to actively use them," he said.
Earlier, the state corporation Rostec said that Russia’s kamikaze drones KUB and Lancet are widely used in combat operations in Ukraine, and have "successfully demonstrated their properties in combat conditions." The drones are mainly used to hit distant ground targets.
The KUB UAV, developed by ZALA Aero, carries a three-kilogram warhead. Its maximum flight duration is 30 minutes and speed - 130 km/h. The loitering ammunition KUB in November 2021 successfully passed government certification tests. Its serial deliveries to the Russian army were scheduled to begin in 2022.
The Lancet UAV, also manufactured by ZALA Aero, is equipped with several types of guidance systems: coordinate, optoelectronic and combined. The drone has a television communication channel that transmits an image of the target, which allows to get a confirmation the target has been hit. The complex is capable of destroying targets within a radius of up to 40 kilometers. Its maximum takeoff weight is 12 kilograms.