Ukrainian defense forces have shot down a Russian reconnaissance ZALA 421-16E2 mini unmanned aerial vehicle.

Valeriy Zaluzhny, Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine published a photo of the downed drone on his Facebook page.

The Russian drone was conducting reconnaissance in the north of Ukraine and was neutralized by our defenders.

“Well-coordinated work of the electronic warfare and air defense units of the Ground Forces. This photo features the Russian Orlan-10 and Tahion UAVs from the Eastern direction and ZALA from the Northern,” Zaluzhny wrote.

Yet, the Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine did not specify what means were used to shoot down the Russian ZALA 421-16E2 drone.

Also, General Valeriy Zaluzhny noted that over the past 2 days, the Armed Forces of Ukraine have eliminated almost 20 enemy UAVs.

The total value of the destroyed Russian drones is approximately $2 million.

According to the manufacturer, the ZALA 421-16E2 unmanned reconnaissance and surveillance system has a silent flight mode.

ZALA 421-16E2 has a weight of 7.5 kilograms. A daytime 60x optical zoom camera and a thermal imaging module with 10x optical zoom can be mounted on the drone. The drone was developed by ZALA AERO.

This unmanned aerial vehicle can transmit video information in complex weather conditions within a distance of at least 30 km. The radius of its control is at least 50 km.

The new drone can have a continuous flight for four hours, and it is manually launched without the help of a catapult. The safe landing of the ZALA 421-16E2 drone is ensured by a built-in parachute and an air shock absorber that minimize risks of damage during landing.

Previously, soldiers of the 128th Separate Mountain Zakarpattia Brigade destroyed a Russian “Orlan-10” drone with a portable anti-aircraft missile system.