Ukraine performs world's first drone soldier evacuation from the frontline

Ukraine has achieved a milestone by performing the world’s first drone soldier evacuation.

In a latest development, Ukrainian forces evacuated a wounded soldier from the front line using a heavy aerial drone, claiming it as a world-first operation of its kind.

Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade announced the mission on October 19 via its Unmanned Ground Systems Company's official Telegram channel. The operation was a collaborative effort involving personnel from 92nd Assault Brigade, 30th Mechanized Brigade, 14th Mechanized Brigade, 10th Army Corps and Gurzuf Defence.

Napalm, a squad commander and programmer with the 92nd Brigade’s unmanned ground systems company stated that “This is a historic event, at least for our unit.”

A wounded infantryman from the 30th Mechanized Brigade could not be evacuated using standard unmanned ground vehicles due to intense Russian drone activity and heavy mining.

To bypass these hazards, soldiers modified a Ukrainian-made Gurzuf Defence heavy hexacopter, originally designed as a bomber, to carry the wounded soldier. Gurzuf Defence provided the drone free of charge.

Working closely with the manufacturer, they implemented technical solutions to ensure stability in flight while carrying human weight, following preliminary test flights at Gurzuf facilities.

Gurzuf Defence supplied the heavy hexacopter free of charge for the evacuation operation.

The rescue occurred shortly after Ukraine began front-line testing of StarGate, a purpose-built medical evacuation drone developed by SkyFall for the 475th Separate Assault Regiment.

The StarGate drone can carry up to 150 kg on a medical stretcher, has a one-way range of 15 km, is expected to cost at least $50,000 per system, and has a production target of up to 1,000 units per month by the end of 2026.