To the 70th anniversary of AI: ZALA specialists told Nauka RF about the work of onboard neural networks on ballistic missiles

In 2026, the world will celebrate the 70th anniversary of the Dartmouth Conference that launched the history of artificial intelligence. In honour of this date, large-scale scientific forums will be held in many countries. Today, technologies that once existed only in theory have become part of our everyday lives.

ZALA, the Russian market leader in unmanned aerial systems with more than 20 years of experience, is actively implementing artificial intelligence technologies in the civilian sector. The company's specialists told the project SCIENCE OF THE RUSSIAN FEDERATION on how onboard neural networks dramatically improve the efficiency of unmanned aircraft systems.

The modern ZALA BVSs are equipped with integrated software and hardware complex based on machine vision. In real time, right on board the UAV, algorithms analyse data from video cameras and thermal imagers, automatically detecting fires, oil spills and other abnormal situations. The AI identifies targets and instantly transmits their coordinates to the control centre. Thanks to extensive application practice - from the needs of the fuel and energy sector to rescue operations - neural networks are constantly learning, increasing the speed and quality of incident recognition by many times.

In addition, ZALA has introduced AI into the collision avoidance system. Additional cameras allow the UAV to autonomously detect approaching objects and change course or speed. This makes ZALA UAVs «smarter» with every flight, paving the way for the safe use of unmanned systems in urban and industrial environments.