A heavy drone evacuated a wounded soldier from a frontline position

Ukrainian troops successfully evacuated an infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade using a heavy aerial drone after he was wounded at his position. The drone picked him up directly from there. The soldier is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is not in danger.

A ground robotic system could not be used for the evacuation: mined terrain and high enemy drone activity made it impossible to move. The alternative was a Ukrainian-made heavy hexacopter.

The operation was carried out through the joint efforts of Ukrainian Armed Forces Ground Forces units and the drone’s developers. The following took part:

• 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Kosh Otaman Ivan Sirko — specialists from its unmanned ground systems company proposed using an aerial drone to retrieve the wounded soldier;
• 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade — its unmanned aerial vehicle operator piloted the drone during the mission;
• service members of the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade;
• service members of the 10th Army Corps;
• Ukrainian company Gurzuf Defence — provided the heavy hexacopter free of charge, and its specialists took part in the operation.

To ensure the drone remained stable in the air while transporting the wounded soldier, the military and developers devised a special technical solution. Before the evacuation, specialists conducted tests and planned the mission together with other units.

The military call this operation the first aerial evacuation in the world of a wounded soldier directly from the front line using a drone of this kind. They emphasize that the use of aerial drones expands the possibilities for rescuing soldiers in places where traditional evacuation is difficult or altogether impossible.

We previously reported:

• Donor organs to be delivered by drones: Ukraine launches an experiment
• He rescued two wounded soldiers under drone fire: Vladyslav Polskyi named a Hero of Ukraine
• Comedian and soldier Artur Petrov killed in Kupiansk-Vuzlovyi while evacuating the wounded
• Commander killed, wounded soldier bled out, evacuation denied: how Russians captured a command post in Huliaipole
• Resuscitation on wheels: Ukrzaliznytsia’s medical train to help our heroes