Ukraine Uses Heavy Drone to Rescue Wounded Soldier After Nearly 500 Days on Front Line
Ukrainian forces have carried out what they describe as a world-first battlefield evacuation, using a heavy-lift drone to airlift a wounded soldier who had remained at a frontline position for nearly 500 days.
The operation involved Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade and 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, alongside other military units and drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence.
According to the Ukrainian military, intense Russian drone activity and mined terrain made a conventional ground evacuation too dangerous. The team instead adapted a heavy six-rotor drone to carry the injured infantryman to a safer evacuation point.
The soldier secured himself to the drone’s lifting system before being flown out of the danger zone. He was subsequently transferred for medical treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger.
The military has not disclosed the exact location or date of the rescue, but described the mission as a major step forward in using unmanned systems to evacuate wounded troops from heavily contested battlefields.