ZALA AERO took part in Russian-Kyrgyz exercises to combat drug trafficking

From 13 to 17 September, joint Russian-Kyrgyz exercises on the use of unmanned aerial vehicles in the fight against drug trafficking were held in the Issyk-Kul region of the Kyrgyz Republic.

The Russian Federation delegation included representatives of the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Rosgvardia, the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs, and the leading manufacturer of unmanned aerial systems ZALA AERO. The exercise was conducted with the participation of representatives of the law enforcement agencies of the Kyrgyz Republic, and the exercise was initiated by the UN Office on Drugs and Crime in the Kyrgyz Republic.

ZALA unmanned aerial systems have been in operation in the law enforcement agencies of the Russian Federation since 2008, and more than 500 operators of the Russian Ministry of Internal Affairs and Rosgvardia have passed through the ZALA Training Centre. The accumulated experience allowed to clearly demonstrate the advantages of technical means. During 3 days more than 8 flights were conducted in mountainous terrain, over water bodies and in urban areas. The main instrument of task fulfilment was a complex with unmanned aerial system ZALA 421-16E. It is this vehicle that is the most widely used by Rosgvardia units.

As part of the exercise, ZALA AERO employees, together with employees of special purpose aviation units of the Federal Service of National Guard Forces of the Russian Federation, conducted methodological and practical training on tracking criminals, search and rescue operations, communication in difficult areas, aerial photography, application of geographic information systems, mapping of wild cannabis growing areas and other special methods of using unmanned aerial vehicles in service activities.

The results of the exercise were discussed at a visiting meeting of the State Coordination Committee for Drug Control of the Kyrgyz Republic. Representatives of the UN, the Kyrgyz Republic, an interagency delegation from the Russian Federation and the local diplomatic corps noted the high efficiency of the use of ZALA unmanned aerial systems in law enforcement activities. As a result of the exercise, agreements were reached to explore the establishment of a joint training centre for unmanned aerial systems operators on the territory of the Kyrgyz Republic and to hold regional drills with the use of UAVs on Kyrgyz territory in 2022.