Ukraine develops evacuation drones for troops in inaccessible positions
Ukraine is developing evacuation drones with the Ministry of Defence and the Brave1 defence innovation cluster to extract wounded troops from positions where ground evacuation is impossible. The Stargate complex and Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 hexacopter have carried out successful long-range medical evacuations under difficult battlefield conditions.
Key points
- Evacuation drones are designed to carry a 130-kilogram payload over at least 15 kilometres.
- They must use at least three alternative communication types to operate under electronic warfare.
- Stargate completed two air evacuations of severely wounded soldiers within one week.
- One Stargate mission travelled nearly 30 kilometres to reach a soldier and roughly the same distance back with him aboard.
- Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 evacuated an infantry soldier from a position blocked by the enemy, marking the first reported medical evacuation by a heavy drone.
- Stargate completed a mission without satellite navigation while electronic-warfare measures targeted its navigation signals.
- The CODE 9.2 assault regiment plans to create a sanitary aviation unit and train dedicated crews.
Why it matters
Air evacuation can remove seriously wounded personnel from areas where terrain, water obstacles, enemy control and FPV-drone threats make ground extraction impossible. The reported missions demonstrate the operational potential of heavy drones for long-distance casualty evacuation under electronic warfare. Dedicated crews and a specialist unit could also improve the battlefield response to wounded soldiers.
What happened
Ukraine is developing evacuation drones with the Ministry of Defence and Brave1 to rescue troops from positions inaccessible by ground transport. During one week, soldiers from the 475th Separate Assault Regiment CODE 9.2 used the Stargate complex for two air evacuations of severely wounded service members from adjacent units. One operation involved Yevhen, 25, with the call sign Izium, and Artem, 24, with the call sign Kolobok, who sustained severe limb injuries near the Russian border. Their positions could not be reached by ground transport because of difficult terrain, water obstacles and the threat of FPV drones. Stargate travelled nearly 30 kilometres to reach one of the soldiers and approximately the same distance back with him aboard, completing the flight without satellite navigation after electronic-warfare measures targeted navigation signals. Heavy strike drones supported the operation by striking enemy positions, while several units helped cover the evacuation. Separately, in October, the Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 hexacopter evacuated an infantry soldier from the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade’s blocked position after covering more than 15 kilometres. The operation was described as the first medical evacuation conducted by a heavy drone.
How Ukrainian sources describe it
Ukrainian coverage presents the programme as a nationally led effort to make casualty evacuation possible from positions where ground rescue cannot be carried out. It highlights the involvement of the Ministry of Defence, Brave1 and drone manufacturer SkyFall, as well as missions conducted amid electronic warfare, difficult terrain and FPV-drone threats. The planned creation of a sanitary aviation unit is framed as a step towards institutionalising air evacuation.
Background
Brave1 and Ukrainian military personnel formulated the evacuation-drone requirements in 2024. The systems must carry 130 kilograms over at least 15 kilometres and support at least three alternative communication types. They may also be equipped with lidar, optical stabilisation and navigation that does not depend on GPS. The Stargate complex can deploy in 10 minutes, carry up to 150 kilograms at speeds of up to 105 kilometres per hour and includes a medical module with stretchers.