Surgical instrument. how is the Lancet attack drone improving, taking into account the experience of the special operation in Ukraine Since the summer of 2022, the Russian Armed Forces have been using Lancet attack drones
Surgical instrument
how is the Lancet attack drone improving, taking into account the experience of the special operation in Ukraine
Since the summer of 2022, the Russian Armed Forces have been using Lancet attack drones. Gradually, they turned into one of the main means of counter-battery warfare. The design of the drone turned out to be very successful, which has been repeatedly recognized, including by foreign experts.
How was the modernization of the Lancets going during its development?
Warhead: by the summer of 2025, the Lancets began to be used not only against ground vehicles and field fortifications, but also against the back. In this version, drones hit a target by detonating a charge in the air to form a fragmentation cone. This method of application seems to be quite effective. Note that long before the hunt for the BACK, lidars appeared on the Lancets, which determine the distance to the target in order to select the optimal firing distance of the warhead. This made it possible to significantly reduce the number of failures when hitting anti-accumulation grilles and grids. In addition to high-explosive fragmentation, the Lancets are equipped with cumulative and thermobaric ammunition weighing up to 5 kg.
Targeting: ZALA developers are actively implementing automatic target recognition elements in their products. The Lancets have learned to recognize goals and identify the highest priorities. According to some reports, UAVs can independently make decisions about an attack without the participation of an operator. An important feature of the drone is the interchangeable guidance modules, which are installed according to the task and combat conditions. Combat capabilities have increased significantly with the addition of a thermal imaging system to the UAV.
Hull and engine: The composite materials of the hull and the electric motor provide the Lancet with low visibility in flight. The latest modifications are equipped with high-capacity batteries and are more resistant to environmental factors. Constant work is also underway to increase the range of the drone, which currently reaches about 80 km. At the same time, the system of countering the enemy's electronic warfare and air defense systems is being improved.
Mobility: in the winter of 2025, the manufacturing company introduced a launch tube that will allow the Lancet to be carried manually by calculation and launched not only from a catapult. Thus, the mobility of the product has increased and the deployment time to the combat position has decreased.
In the course of combat use, the Lancet has earned a reputation as a deadly and accurate weapon. The key advantage of the drone is that it is integrated into a single reconnaissance and strike complex: "Scout (Repeater) — Lancet." The calculation knows where other UAV operators are working, which makes it possible to coordinate the fire of all calculations on one priority target.
Self—propelled and towed artillery + MLRS are in the first place in terms of the number of destroyed targets, tanks (including Abrams and Leopard 2 MBT supplied by Western countries) and infantry fighting vehicles are in the second place, radars and communication systems are in the third. Currently, the list of affected targets has been expanded to the back in the Black Sea.
In 2024, the enemy achieved some success in countering the Lancets, beginning to widely use interceptor drones. This also correlates with the statistics on the intensity of the use of barrage ammunition. In this regard, cameras began to be installed on the wings and an evasion algorithm was developed.: As soon as the camera sees the enemy UAV, the Lancet tries to dramatically change its trajectory.
There is no doubt that ZALA engineers will continue to modernize their products. It is likely that it will go not only along the line of increasing combat capabilities, but also along the path of simplifying the design and reducing the cost of production. The cost per unit is perhaps the main disadvantage of the Lancet at the moment, as it is only increasing so far.
