The Russians claim that Zala UAVs cannot be “jammed” by electronic warfare systems, but the Ukrainian military has dispelled this myth.
The Armed Forces of Ukraine shot down a Russian reconnaissance drone Zala 421-16E2 using electronic warfare. The 58th Separate Motorized Infantry Brigade named after Hetman Ivan Vyhovsky reported this on Facebook.
APU shot down Zala 421-16E2
The engineering support group was able to hit an enemy drone with the help of the Ukrainian Bukovel-AD electronic warfare system. Judging by the published photo, the drone released a parachute and landed safely somewhere in the middle of the forest, where the defenders of Ukraine found it. Now experts are studying the device Zala 421-16E2, as well as the contents of the memory card.
Drone Zala 421-16E2, shot down by the EW complex “Bukovel-AD”
“Thanks to the well-coordinated work of the military, this bird has already flown away. Vygovtsy hit accurately. Welcome to Ukraine,” the military wrote.
Camera from captured drone Zala 421-16E2
Memory card of captured drone Zala 421-16E2
Photo: Facebook
What is known about Zala 421-16E2
The ZALA 421-16E2 is an industrial flying wing drone manufactured by the Russian company ZALA Aero Group. The official website states that it can be launched from unprepared sites using a catapult and equipped with various payloads.
Characteristics Zala 421-16E2
Wingspan: 2.8 m Communication range: over 30 km Maximum flight range: 35 km Flight duration: 4 hours Altitude ceiling: 3600 m Flight speed: up to 125 km/h Maximum weight: 7.5 kg Payload weight: 1.5 kg
“Invulnerability” Zala 421-16E2
According to the Russian newspaper Gazeta.ru, the RF Armed Forces use Zala drones for reconnaissance and fire correction, including for detecting and destroying artillery batteries of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Major General of the Russian Air Force, retired Igor Lyutykh, said that such UAVs use encrypted communication channels, and also change the type of control from manual to autonomous, which additionally knocks down the Ukrainian military.
“This makes the drone practically invisible to the radar equipment of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. Their detection and, accordingly, their destruction is extremely difficult. The Zala drone is almost invulnerable to Ukrainian electronic warfare. They do not see it. Of course, it can be shot down when it is in the line of sight, but it can be suppressed The Armed Forces of Ukraine cannot use its means of electronic warfare,” the Russian military said.
Nevertheless, according to the 58th brigade, Zala 421-16E2 was shot down with the help of electronic warfare, which once again exposes the myth of the technological superiority of the RF Armed Forces. The aforementioned Bukovel-AD complex was developed by the Ukrainian company Proximus LLC for early detection and suppression of UAVs at a distance of up to 20 km. It jams control and data signals such as GPS, GLONASS, Galileo and Beidou, and also creates false signals. The complex is a pickup station.
In February, information appeared that Russia had increased the production of KUB kamikaze drones from ZALA Aero. This is a loitering ammunition containing 3 kg of explosives and flying at a speed of 130 km / h.
ZALA AERO also produces Russian Lancet kamikaze drones, which are actively used on the battlefield. The Russians claim that they have recently modified this device, increasing its combat power due to the payload.
