DRONELEDGER / Press factsheet
ZALA 421-16E / Z-16
A compact selection from this profile, with sources and limits. Other configurations and additional measurements remain in the full profile.
An electric Russian reconnaissance flying wing, designated Z-16 (421-16E) in GUR’s catalogue. A UN panel separately identified a downed 421-16E in Libya. These establish two evidence origins and different conflict contexts, while the figures here remain GUR’s declarations. The suffixes E2, EM and E5G name other configurations and are not aliases for this profile.[1][2]
Public-source profile. Performance claims are attributed; type links do not verify an incident identification.
Form, sound & identification limits
- The UN panel’s annex is an imagery-based identification of a 2020 loss near Ain Zara. It is independent of GUR’s catalogue but does not measure endurance, payload or link reach. The annex’s event dates are reported as written; no incident record is created from this background research.[2]
- GUR’s 2815 mm wingspan converts exactly to 2.815 m. Its 4+ hours and 75+ km link are open lower limits, not fixed values. No flight range is supplied, and the communication distance must not fill that gap.[1]
- ZALA’s reconnaissance aircraft and Lancet loitering munitions share a corporate ecosystem, not an airframe identity. A generic “ZALA” mention cannot select this exact model. An electric flying-wing silhouette alone is also insufficient for identification.[1][2]
Shape or sound alone cannot identify a drone. Follow local public-safety alerts; do not approach wreckage.
Source notebook
- Defence Intelligence of Ukraine · Zala Z-16 (421-16E): catalogue
Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Official report; not an independent test
- UN Panel of Experts on Libya · S/2022/427, annex 40: ZALA 421-16E near Ain Zara
Publication date not stated · Source consulted: 2026-11-01 · Approximate / analyst compilation
Consulted via search index; direct page unavailable
Cite this profile
DroneLedger. ZALA 421-16E / Z-16. 2026-11-01. https://droneincidents.com/drones/zala-421-16e/editions/2026-11-01/
Our text, data and schematic drawings: CC BY 4.0, credit DroneLedger and link to the profile. Linked publications and quoted passages keep their own rights.