Spetsnaz

The Zont (umbrella in Russian) has all aspects of a bulletproof vest, but it is actually equipped with a battery-powered transmitter that scrambles the satellite tracking systems that are used by drones. And this for both the GPS system or Galileo, as Glonass or Beidou. With a weight of only 800g, equipped for a range of 6 hours, it operates over a radius of 2 km. Finally, in response to the heterogeneity of the spetznaz's theatres of operations, its operation is guaranteed to be -40 to 50 degrees Celsius.  After the presentation of a first prototype in 2018 to the Russian armed forces, the Zont would be currently tested on an outdoor theatre.  

Product Policy

Due to the number of casualties caused by suicide drones used on the Syrian front, Zala, a subsidiary of the Kalashnikov Group and a supplier to russian special forces, has developed a range of products over the past three years to neutralize satellite location data. Zala first launched the Rex-1 and 2 anti-drone rifles, but like all similar Western solutions these products require accurately visualizing the threat, mobilizing multiple operators to cover all directions, and being ineffective in the event of a saturation attack. In addition to the Zond, Zala carried out a mini-drone, the Zala 421-16E, at the request of the Russian special forces, which scrambles data links and satellite navigation signals for several hours in a 5 km sphere around a commando.

Special Report

From reconnaissance drones to UCAV, from ISR pods to anti-drone systems, Russia is making a dramatic comeback in the field of unmanned platforms, as demonstrated by the last Army2020 show, which took place at the end of August in Kubinka on the outskirts of Moscow. A full report will be devoted to this in the issue of Air-Cosmos, which will be released on September 25, 2020.