For the first time ever, a soldier wounded in a conflict zone has been evacuated out by a giant aerial drone. Given how innovative Ukraine has been with both drone warfare and drone rescues throughout the Russo-Ukrainian War, it's not surprising that it was the nation to pull this off before anyone else. Now, hauling up a whole injured human in the middle of a battle field isn't trivial, and it's unlikely this will be the primary way wounded soldiers get off the field anytime soon. But it does unlock a way to do it when every other option is infeasible, which could end up saving a lot of lives in the future.
The soldier in question is part of the Ukrainian Army's 30th Mechanized Brigade, who had apparently spent about 500 days on the front, per the Kyiv Independent. After he was wounded, his HQ was unable to pull him out via a land route; the Russians had heavily mined the place and, anyway, Russian drones were always seeking targets. Keep in mind, Ukraine has already spearheaded the use of ground drones to evacuate wounded soldiers. That puts only the wounded soldier at risk of attack, rather than a whole crewed vehicle. In this instance, that simply couldn't be done. What else could HQ possibly do? Well, how about something that had never been done before?
Abduction from a flying hexacopter
Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defense makes a hexacopter drone designed for heavy payloads, called the Heavy Shot Ayudag-6; per NBC News, it was originally intended as a bomber, not a rescuer. According to the Ministry of Defence of Ukraine, the military coordinated with Gurzuf to create a novel use for the giant drone: airlift a living person. This took a little while, and in the meantime HQ sent the poor guy critical supplies via more conventional quadcopters. Once the hexacopter was ready, the soldier first received a custom-made harness, then got to watch as what looks like a flying saucer descended upon him. He hooked up the harness, and he was whisked away to safety.
This represents the first time this has been pulled off with an actual person in an actual war, but the idea has been percolating for some time. In May, the U.S. Army tested something very similar, although with a dummy. Expect giant aerial drones to become a key tool in the medevac belt. Again, there are simpler options, such as the ground drones that Ukraine regularly operates. Also, the problem with uncrewed vehicles is, well, they don't have any crews. That means no medical personnel to stabilize a critically wounded patient immediately. UAV rescues would only work if the soldier could survive the flight (this one took about one hour and 15 minutes to fly 39 miles).
For what it's worth, the name "Ayudag" is actually a mountain in Crimea, currently occupied by Russia. There's something to be said about Ukraine reclaiming a name that was lost, and then sending it to rescue a soldier in that very fight. It likely won't be the last time.