Ukraine says it evacuated wounded soldier by heavy drone for first time

Ukraine’s military says it has for the first time evacuated a wounded soldier from a front-line position using a heavy hexacopter, after mined terrain and Russian drone activity made ground evacuation impossible.

Ukraine’s military and drone maker Gurzuf Defense said on Oct. 19 that a wounded soldier had been evacuated from a front-line position by aerial drone, describing it as a first. The 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade and the 10th Army Corps took part.

The date and location were not disclosed. Some Ukrainian outlets, citing the Kharkiv Military Hospital, linked the operation to the Kupiansk axis.

How the mission worked

According to the Ukrainian side, special equipment with carabiners was first delivered to the soldier, and a winch-equipped drone was then sent to his position. The wounded soldier strapped himself into the evacuation system, and the drone carried him to a safer spot where fellow troops met him. The mission lasted 1 hour, 14 minutes and covered 62 km.

The aircraft was a Heavy Shot “Ayudag-6” heavy-lift hexacopter, weighing about 98 kg, with a range of up to 25 km and a payload of 70–90 kg. The manufacturer provided it free of charge, and crews adapted it to carry a person.

A heavy drone carries the wounded soldier

Why not by ground?

The brigades said mined terrain and Russian drone activity made evacuation on foot or by ground robot too risky. The 30th Brigade soldier had spent nearly 500 days at the position, receiving food, water, ammunition and medicine by drone. The brigade said his life is no longer in danger.

Gurzuf Defense co-founder Pavlo Feldblium said “air rescue is a last resort when there is no other way to save a person” and warned it should not become routine. Details of the operation have not been independently verified beyond the released video.