Ukrainian forces carry out what they call world's first aerial drone evacuation of wounded soldier
Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko says its specialists, together with other brigades and the Drone Forces of the Ground Forces, evacuated a wounded infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade from a frontline position using a heavy hexacopter drone. The brigade published video of the operation and reported that the soldier is now receiving care and is no longer in life-threatening condition.
Key points
- The 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko announced what it described as the first-ever aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier from a frontline position using a drone.
- The evacuated servicemember was an infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade who was wounded at his position.
- Ground robotic evacuation systems (NRK) could not be used because of high Russian FPV drone activity and mined terrain.
- The operation used the heavy hexacopter 'Ayudag-6' produced by the Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defence, which provided the aircraft free of charge.
- The drone was piloted by a UAV operator from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade.
- Before the mission, the unit and the manufacturer developed and tested at Gurzuf Defence facilities a technical solution allowing the heavy bomber drone to carry out the evacuation while remaining stable in the air.
- The evacuation involved the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, the 30th and 14th Separate Mechanized Brigades, and the 10th Army Corps; the rescued soldier is undergoing treatment and his life is no longer in danger.
What happened
The 92nd Separate Assault Brigade named after Ivan Sirko reported that Ukrainian forces carried out what they describe as the first-ever aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier directly from a frontline position using an unmanned aerial vehicle. The evacuated servicemember was an infantryman of the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade who had been wounded at his position. Ground robotic evacuation systems (NRK) could not reach him because of intensive Russian FPV drone activity and mined terrain, so a heavy hexacopter was used instead. The drone, identified as the 'Ayudag-6' heavy bomber made by the Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defence, was provided to the military free of charge and was piloted by a UAV operator from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Before the operation, the unit worked with the manufacturer to develop and test at Gurzuf Defence facilities a technical solution that allowed the heavy bomber drone to perform the evacuation while remaining stable in the air, without flipping or excessive swaying. The 92nd Brigade published video of the operation and said the soldier was rescued and is now undergoing treatment and rehabilitation, with his life no longer in danger. The operation involved the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, the 30th and 14th Separate Mechanized Brigades, the 10th Army Corps, and specialists from the Drone Forces of the Ground Forces.
Background
In August 2025, then-Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces of Ukraine Oleksandr Syrskyi said that Ukraine was testing air platforms for evacuating the wounded. The drone employed for the operation was the heavy bomber 'Ayudag-6' produced by Gurzuf Defence, which according to the publication 'Oboronka' can lift up to 90 kg over distances of up to 25 km and is intended for combat as well as logistics roles. The Associated Press also recently featured an air drone called StarGate, developed by the Ukrainian company SkyFall for aerial medical evacuation of the wounded from the front.