The ZALA Lancet (official designation: ''Item 52/Item 51'') is an

unmanned aerial vehicle An unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) or unmanned aircraft system (UAS), commonly known as a drone, is an aircraft with no human pilot, crew, or passengers onboard, but rather is controlled remotely or is autonomous.De Gruyter Handbook of Dron ...

(UAV) and

loitering munition A loitering munition, also known as a suicide drone, kamikaze drone, or exploding drone, is a weapon with a warhead that is typically designed to Loiter (aeronautics), loiter until a target is designated, then crash into it.ZALA Aero Group (part of

Kalashnikov Concern JSC Kalashnikov Concern (; ), known until 2013 as the Izhevsk Machine-Building Plant (; ), is a Russian Arms industry, defense manufacturing Concern (business), concern and joint-stock company headquartered in the city of Izhevsk in the Republic ...

) for the

Russian Armed Forces The Armed Forces of the Russian Federation, commonly referred to as the Russian Armed Forces, are the military of Russia. They are organized into three service branches—the Russian Ground Forces, Ground Forces, Russian Navy, Navy, and Russi ...

. It was first unveiled in June 2019 at the ARMY-2019 military expo in Moscow. It is a further development of the ZALA Kub-BLA (also known as KYB-UAV) loitering munition.

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI) and also known as Persia, is a country in West Asia. It borders Iraq to the west, Turkey, Azerbaijan, and Armenia to the northwest, the Caspian Sea to the north, Turkmenistan to the nort ...

claimed in April 2024 that it has manufactured a domestic analogue of the drone.

Description

The ZALA Lancet can be used for both reconnaissance and strike missions. It has a maximum range of and a

maximum takeoff weight The maximum takeoff weight (MTOW) or maximum gross takeoff weight (MGTOW) or maximum takeoff mass (MTOM) of an aircraft, also known as the maximum structural takeoff weight or maximum structural takeoff mass, is the maximum weight at which the p ...

(MTOW) of up to . In combat mode, it can be armed either with

high explosive An explosive (or explosive material) is a reactive substance that contains a great amount of potential energy that can produce an explosion if released suddenly, usually accompanied by the production of light, heat, sound, and pressure. An exp ...

(HE), HE- fragmentation or

shaped charge A shaped charge, commonly also hollow charge if shaped with a cavity, is an explosive charge shaped to focus the effect of the explosive's energy. Different types of shaped charges are used for various purposes such as cutting and forming metal, ...

warheads. It features optical-electronic guidance and TV guidance unit, which allows the munition to be controlled during the terminal stage of flight. The drone features intelligence, navigation and communications modules. According to Zala Aero Chief Designer Alexander Zakharov, the Lancet can be used in so called "air mining" role. In this role, the drone dives at maximum speed up to and strikes enemy

unmanned combat aerial vehicle An unmanned combat aerial vehicle (UCAV), also known as a combat drone, fighter drone or battlefield UAV, is an unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV) that is used for intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition, and reconnaissance and carries aircra ...

s (UCAVs) mid-flight. Lancet can be launched via catapult launcher from ground or sea platforms like the

Raptor-class patrol boat The Raptor-class patrol boat, Russian designation Project 03160, is a series of Russian high-speed coastal patrol boats. Boats of the class belong to the 4th rank ships in the Russian Navy. This project was developed by the design bureau of JSC L ...

s. The drone is powered by an electric motor. ZALA drones use radio frequencies in the bands 868-870 MHz and 902-928 MHz. Lancet operates on two frequency channels with a reserve frequency to complicate jamming, and they can interface with communication relay UAVs. It is estimated to cost about 3 million

rubles The ruble or rouble (; rus, рубль, p=rublʲ) is a currency unit. Currently, currencies named ''ruble'' in circulation include the Russian ruble (RUB, ₽) in Russia and the Belarusian ruble (BYN, Rbl) in Belarus. These currencies are su ...

( $35,000). The Lancet contains many Western electronic components, including the Jetson TX2 module by

NVIDIA Nvidia Corporation ( ) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California, and incorporated in Delaware. Founded in 1993 by Jensen Huang (president and CEO), Chris Malachowsky, and Curti ...

used as its onboard control equipment and the Xilinx Zynq SoC module by

Xilinx Xilinx, Inc. ( ) was an American technology and semiconductor company that primarily supplied programmable logic devices. The company is renowned for inventing the first commercially viable field-programmable gate array (FPGA). It also pioneered ...

, an American company owned by

AMD Advanced Micro Devices, Inc. (AMD) is an American multinational corporation and technology company headquartered in Santa Clara, California and maintains significant operations in Austin, Texas. AMD is a hardware and fabless company that de ...

, used for implementing programmable logic.

Operational history

Syrian Civil War

The Lancet has been combat tested in Syria during the

Russian military intervention in the Syrian civil war {{Infobox military conflict , partof = the foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, foreign involvement in the Syrian civil war, and the war against the Islamic State , image = , image_size = , border ...

since at least November 2020. In April 2021, it was engaged in strikes against

Tahrir al-Sham Hay'at Tahrir al-Sham (HTS) was a Sunni Islamist political organisation and paramilitary group involved in the Syrian civil war. It was formed on 28January 2017 as a merger between several armed groups: Jaysh al-Ahrar (an Ahrar al-Sham facti ...

in the

Idlib Governorate Idlib Governorate ( / ALA-LC: ''Muḥāfaẓat Idlib'') is one of the 14 governorates of Syria. It is situated in northwestern Syria, bordering Turkey's Hatay province to the north, Aleppo Governorate to the east, Hama Governorate to the sou ...

Russian invasion of Ukraine

On 8 June 2022, Russian defence corporation

Rostec Rostec, formally trading as State Corporation "Rostec", fully the State Corporation for the Promotion of the Development, Manufacture, and Export of High Tech Products "Rostec" and formerly Rostekhnologii, is a Russian State corporation (Russia), ...

announced that Lancet and KUB drones were deployed during the ongoing

Russian invasion of Ukraine On 24 February 2022, , starting the largest and deadliest war in Europe since World War II, in a major escalation of the Russo-Ukrainian War, conflict between the two countries which began in 2014. The fighting has caused hundreds of thou ...

. A month later, the first video of their combat use in Ukraine emerged. In late 2022, multiple videos appeared on social networks showing Lancet drones striking a variety of Ukrainian military targets, such as air defence systems, self-propelled howitzers, tanks and military trucks. Among the targets damaged or destroyed were

S-300 missile system The S-300 (NATO reporting name SA-10 Grumble) is a series of long-range surface-to-air missile systems developed by the former Soviet Union. It was produced by NPO Almaz for the Soviet Air Defence Forces to defend against air raids and cruise ...

s, a Buk-M1 missile system, a

T-64 The T-64 is a Soviet tank manufactured in Kharkiv, and designed by Alexander Morozov. The tank was introduced in the early 1960s. It was a more advanced counterpart to the T-62: the T-64 served in tank divisions, while the T-62 supported i ...

tank, Western-supplied

M777 The M777 howitzer is a British towed artillery, towed 155 mm artillery piece in the howitzer class. It is used by the Australian Army, ground forces of Australia, Canadian Army, Canada, Colombia, Indian Army, India, Saudi Arabian Army, Saudi Ar ...

and

FH70 The FH70 (field howitzer for the 1970s) is a towed 155 mm howitzer used by several nations. History In 1963, NATO agreed a NATO Basic Military Requirement 39 for close support artillery, either towed or tracked. Subsequently, Germany and UK ...

howitzers, as well as M109,

AHS Krab The AHS Krab ( Polish for crab) is a 155 mm NATO-compatible self-propelled tracked gun-howitzer designed in Poland by Huta Stalowa Wola (HSW), by combining a modified South Korean K9 Thunder chassis with a British BAE Systems AS-90M Braveh ...

and

CAESAR Gaius Julius Caesar (12 or 13 July 100 BC – 15 March 44 BC) was a Roman general and statesman. A member of the First Triumvirate, Caesar led the Roman armies in the Gallic Wars before defeating his political rival Pompey in a civil war. He ...

self-propelled howitzers. On 4 November 2022, a Gyurza-M-class gunboat of the

Ukrainian Navy The Ukrainian Navy (), is the Navy, maritime force of Ukraine and one of the eight Military branch, service branches of the Armed Forces of Ukraine. The naval forces consist of five components: surface forces, submarine forces, Ukrainian Naval ...

was damaged by a Lancet drone, in what was the first time a Lancet attacked a naval target during the war. While Russia uses long-range Iranian Shahed-136 kamikaze drones against Ukrainian energy infrastructure, the Lancet is employed as a precision battlefield weapon against high-value military targets, usually located by a reconnaissance drone before it gets launched. Although the Lancet is recorded to have hit a number of Ukrainian targets, there are also some misses. Even if it strikes its target it does not guarantee a kill, sometimes only causing minor damage that can be repaired. According to ''

Forbes ''Forbes'' () is an American business magazine founded by B. C. Forbes in 1917. It has been owned by the Hong Kong–based investment group Integrated Whale Media Investments since 2014. Its chairman and editor-in-chief is Steve Forbes. The co ...

'', Russia may be prevented from producing Lancets in large numbers due to

international sanctions International sanctions are political and economic decisions that are part of diplomatic efforts by countries, multilateral or regional organizations against states or organizations either to protect national security interests, or to protect i ...

, as Russian drones are dependent on imported electronics and they are having difficulties in finding alternatives. However, in July 2023, television news footage showed a massive new facility with hundreds of Lancets being manufactured as the makers claimed that production was being tripled. In February 2023, a Lancet drone targeted and struck a rare Ukrainian

T-84 The T-84 is a Ukraine, Ukrainian main battle tank (MBT), based on the Soviet Union, Soviet T-80 MBT introduced in 1976, specifically the diesel engine version: T-80UD. The T-84 was first built in 1994 and entered service in the Ukrainian Arme ...

tank. In March 2023, a British-supplied Stormer HVM air-defence system was struck by a Lancet drone for the first time. According to Dutch

open-source intelligence Open source intelligence (OSINT) is the collection and analysis of data gathered from open sources (overt sources and publicly available information) to produce actionable intelligence. OSINT is primarily used in national security, law enforceme ...

website

Oryx ''Oryx'' ( ) is a genus consisting of four large antelope species called oryxes. Their pelage is pale with contrasting dark markings in the face and on the legs, and their long horns are almost straight and annulated. The exception is the sci ...

, as of 3 March 2023, Lancet drones scored more than 100 hits on Ukrainian targets during the war. Most of the targets were towed artillery and self-propelled artillery systems. A Russian source also made claims about the high efficiency of the drone. On 18 April 2023, reports emerged of the destruction of a Ukrainian patrol boat on the Dnipro River after being struck by a Lancet drone. On 27 April 2023, video emerged confirming a Lancet strike on a Ukrainian Tor SAM system. The same day, other videos showing Lancet drones destroying one 5P85S launcher for the S-300 missile system, and damaging another, appeared on social networks. During the

2023 Ukrainian counteroffensive In early June 2023, during the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Ukraine launched a Counter-offensive, counteroffensive against Russian forces Russian-occupied territories of Ukraine, occupying its territory with a goal of breaching the front lines ...

, a TRML-4D multi-functional radar from the

IRIS-T The IRIS-T (infrared imaging system tail/thrust vector-controlled) is a family of short range infrared homing air-to-air missile, air-to-air and short to medium range surface-to-air missile, surface-to-air missiles. It is also called AIM-2000. ...

SLM air defense system was destroyed, and a

Leopard 2 The Leopard 2 is a third generation German main battle tank (MBT). Developed by Krauss-Maffei in the 1970s, the tank entered service in 1979 and replaced the earlier Leopard 1 as the main battle tank of the West German army. Various iterat ...

A6 tank was heavily damaged by Lancet drones. On 19 September 2023, Russian sources claimed a Lancet, for the first time, conducted a strike against a Ukrainian

MiG-29 The Mikoyan MiG-29 (; NATO reporting name: Fulcrum) is a twinjet, twin-engine fighter aircraft designed in the Soviet Union. Developed by the Mikoyan design bureau as an air superiority fighter during the 1970s, the MiG-29, along with the large ...

fighter stationed at Dolgintsevo airfield near

Kryvyi Rih Kryvyi Rih ( ; , ), also known as Krivoy Rog ( ), is a city in central Ukraine. It hosts the administration of Kryvyi Rih Raion and its subordinate Kryvyi Rih urban hromada in Dnipropetrovsk Oblast. The city is part of the Kryvyi Rih Metropo ...

in the Dnipropetrovsk region, some 70 km from the front line on the

Dnieper River The Dnieper or Dnepr ( ), also called Dnipro ( ), is one of the major transboundary rivers of Europe, rising in the Valdai Hills near Smolensk, Russia, before flowing through Belarus and Ukraine to the Black Sea. Approximately long, with ...

, indicating the maximum range of the drone had been enhanced from the previously-declared 40 km. The MiG was reportedly hit near the cockpit. On 11 October 2023, another video showcased the Lancet striking a parked Ukrainian

Su-25 The Sukhoi Su-25 ''Grach'' ( ('' rook''); NATO reporting name: Frogfoot) is a subsonic, single-seat, twin-engine jet aircraft developed in the Soviet Union by Sukhoi. It was designed to provide close air support for Soviet Ground Forces. The ...

at Dolgintsevo airfield. According to LostArmour, as of 3 October 2023, Russia conducted a total of 667 Lancet strikes on various Ukrainian weaponry since July 2022. Among these, 210 targets (31%) were destroyed, while 355 targets (53%) suffered substantial damage. The drone failed to strike a target in 48 instances, and outcomes remained unconfirmed for 52 sorties. Nearly half of the Lancet's engagements focused on artillery installations, encompassing 142 self-propelled cannons (64% of Ukrainian self-propelled gun losses), 170 howitzers and mortars, and few dozens of MLRS launchers. 25% percent of the targets comprised tanks and lighter armored vehicles, 10% were motor vehicles and other relatively low-value targets. Another 14% of the targets were very high value: surface-to-air missile launchers and radar systems. According to LostArmour, as of 28 February 2024, Russia conducted a total of 1,163 Lancet strikes on various Ukrainian weaponry since July 2022. Among these, 363 targets (31.2%) were destroyed, while 615 targets (52.9%) suffered substantial damage. The drone failed to strike a target in 92 instances, and outcomes remained unconfirmed for 91 sorties. Nearly half of the Lancet's engagements focused on artillery installations, encompassing 255 self-propelled cannons, 272 howitzers and mortars, and 34 MLRS launchers. 197 targets were tanks, 118 were lighter armored vehicles and 10 were ships. 10% targets were motor vehicles and other relatively low-value targets. Another 14% of the targets were very high value: surface-to-air missile launchers and radar systems. On 1 November 2023, the

British Ministry of Defence The Ministry of Defence (MOD or MoD) is a ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom. It is responsible for implementing the defence policy set by the government and serves as the headquarters of the British Armed Forces. ...

stated that the Lancet was highly likely to be one of the most effective new capabilities deployed by Russia in Ukraine over the previous 12 months. Ukrainian commander-in-chief, General Valerii Zaluzhnyi, wrote that Russia was deploying Lancets "widely and effectively" and said countering them was "quite difficult." LostArmour tracked an unprecedented 285 Lancet strikes in 29 days of May 2024 (1-29 May), more than any other month, and several times greater than in previous years. This rise reflected the growing drone production capabilities of the Russian defense industry during the war.

Variants

;Lancet-3 :Basic and bigger variant with a 40-minute endurance with a maximum payload of and a MTOW. The maximum speed is . ;Lancet-1 : A smaller version of the Lancet-3. It carries a payload and has a MTOW. The endurance is 30 minutes. ;Izdeliye-53 (or Product 53) :Upgraded version of the Lancet. The drones have a new tube launcher which can contain up to four Lancets and the drones can relay information between themselves about armored vehicles and their concentration and attack fully autonomously, choosing targets from pre-set categories. It has a maximum payload of . Its operational deployment begun in October 2023 against Czech-made Ukrainian artillery systems. Russian troops in Ukraine have begun using upgraded Lancet loitering munitions with an increased flight duration of one hour and a more powerful warhead weighing more than five kilograms, which is at least two kilograms more than the basic version of the drone. Lancets are used to attack personnel with a high explosive fragmentation or

thermobaric A thermobaric weapon, also called an aerosol bomb, or a vacuum bomb, is a type of explosive weapon, explosive munition that works by Dust explosion, dispersing an aerosol cloud of gas, liquid or powdered explosive. The fuel is usually a single ...

warhead, and armored vehicles with a

high-explosive anti-tank High-explosive anti-tank (HEAT) is the effect of a shaped charge explosive that uses the Munroe effect to penetrate heavy armor. The warhead functions by having an explosive charge collapse a metal liner inside the warhead into a high-velocity ...

(HEAT) warhead. The larger variant is designated Izdeliye 51, while the smaller one, with a three-kilogram warhead, is designated Izdeliye 52 and reportedly was upgraded with a larger warhead and a new EO guidance system as of March 2023.

Countermeasures

During the

, Ukrainian forces began developing countermeasures in response to Russia's tactical use of Lancet drones on the battlefield. Ukrainian soldiers began building cages, also used by Russian soldiers and pejoratively referred to as " cope cages", around their artillery pieces using chain link fencing, wire mesh and even wooden logs as part of the construction. The cages were "mainly intended to disrupt Russian Lancet munitions", an analyst told

Radio Liberty Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty (RFE/RL) is a media organization broadcasting news and analyses in 27 languages to 23 countries across Eastern Europe, Central Asia, the Caucasus, and the Middle East. Headquartered in Prague since 1995, RFE/RL ...

. A picture supposedly taken from January 2023 showed the rear half of a Lancet drone that failed to detonate due to such cages, showing that they occasionally succeeded in disrupting Lancet attacks. Ukrainian forces also had begun using inflatable and wooden decoys shaped like vehicles and weapons systems, such as

HIMARS The M142 High Mobility Artillery Rocket System (HIMARS ) is a light multiple rocket launcher developed in the late 1990s for the United States Army and mounted on a standard U.S. Army Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTV) M1140 truck frame ...

, to deceive and divert Lancet attacks. Starting in 2024, Ukrainian forces began intercepting Lancet and other Russian drones with their own First Person View (FPV) drones at altitude, using diving attacks to knock the targets out of the air beyond recovery by the operator or foul their rotors.

Operators

In November 2023, Aleksandr Mikheyev, the director of Russian state arms exporter

Rosoboronexport JSC Rosoboronexport (ROE; , ''Rosoboroneksport'') is the sole state intermediary agency for Russia's exports/imports of defense-related and dual use products, technologies and services. The Rosoboronexport Federal State Unitary Enterprise (FSU ...

, said Russia was not exporting the Lancet due to high domestic demand, specifically by the

. ; *

References

{{Soviet and Russian UAVs, state=expanded Loitering munitions Unmanned aerial vehicles of Russia Military vehicles introduced in the 2010s Unmanned military aircraft of Russia Cruciform-wing aircraft