-42°C overboard: ZALA T-16 operators on working in extreme northern conditions

Even when the thermometer drops below -30°C in Yamal and Khanty-Mansiysk Autonomous Okrug, aerial monitoring of oil and gas infrastructure continues unabated. Operators of one of the most popular unmanned systems in Russia - ZALA T-16 - working in the northernmost regions of the country, shared their experience of operating the equipment in extreme winter conditions.

«We have seven to eight months of winter. The equipment must work without fail, despite frost, snow or polar night. ZALA T-16 was originally created as an industrial complex to work in Russia, taking into account our weather realities. Therefore, its key feature is not just frost resistance, but complex adaptation to the climate of northern regions. This year we set a new record - the minimum temperature outside the aircraft during air monitoring operations was -42°C. The flight was conducted in a normal mode».

The 2025 statistics speak for themselves: over 5 million kilometres, ZALA complexes passed in the interests of the fuel and energy sector.