Ukraine Flies Wounded Soldier Off the Front Line by Drone in What It Calls a World-First Rescue
Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade said it used a modified heavy bomber drone from Gurzuf Defence to airlift a wounded infantryman after mines and Russian drones made a ground rescue impossible.
Ukrainian troops used a heavy multirotor drone to fly a wounded soldier off the front line, in what the unit that organized the mission called the world’s first aerial evacuation of a casualty from the battlefield.
The operation was carried out by the unmanned ground systems company of Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, working with other units and Ukrainian drone maker Gurzuf Defence, the brigade said on social media on Monday. The wounded soldier, an infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade, survived and is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger, according to the unit.
The soldier, a 49-year-old identified only as Kostiantyn, had been holding an observation post alone on the Kupiansk front in the Kharkiv region after his comrade was killed in a Russian strike, and was wounded himself, JFeed reported. Several attempts to reach him, including with unmanned ground vehicles, failed because the area was heavily mined and under constant watch by Russian drones.
How the rescue worked
The team instead used a heavy hexacopter from Gurzuf Defence, a model normally used as a bomber drone to drop munitions, which the company provided free of charge. Specialists from the 92nd Brigade’s company worked with the manufacturer to modify the aircraft so it could carry a person while staying stable in flight, and tested the setup before planning the mission with neighboring units.
Troops sent Kostiantyn a video tutorial showing him how to strap himself to the drone, monitored the flight by video call, and provided cover against Russian attacks during the evacuation, according to JFeed. While he waited, his unit kept him alive with drone drops of food, water, antibiotics and painkillers.
According to the Kharkiv military hospital that treated him, both of his legs were amputated, but he is now recovering and his life is no longer in danger. A drone operator from the 30th Brigade flew the aircraft during the evacuation, and the brigade credited the 92nd and 30th brigades, the 14th Separate Mechanized Brigade, the 10th Army Corps and Gurzuf Defence with making it possible. The brigade did not say when or where the evacuation took place.
Why drones took over the job
Until now, Ukrainian units have relied mainly on ground drones and armored vehicles for casualty evacuation, because helicopters cannot operate safely near the front and the constant presence of Russian reconnaissance and attack drones makes it extremely dangerous for medics to reach the wounded on foot.
“This is a historic event, at least for our unit for sure,” said Napalm, a squad leader and programmer in the 92nd Brigade’s unmanned ground systems company, who was identified only by his call sign. The quote was translated from Ukrainian. “This mission proves once again that Ukrainian service members, working in tandem with Ukrainian manufacturers, are setting global trends in the conduct of warfare,” the brigade said.
Reporting based on coverage by Defence-Blog and JFeed.
