Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade has evacuated a wounded soldier from a frontline position using a Gurzuf Defence Heavy Shot Ayudag-6 hexacopter, in what Ukrainian forces describe as the first battlefield casualty evacuation by aerial drone. The six-rotor aircraft carried the infantryman to a safer position after a 62-kilometre mission lasting about 75 minutes, enabling his onward transfer to hospital.
The soldier belonged to the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade. Ground evacuation was judged too hazardous because mined terrain and intense Russian drone activity prevented troops or unmanned ground vehicles from reaching the position safely. Soldiers first delivered evacuation equipment with attachment points, after which the modified drone arrived with a winch. The casualty secured himself to the system and was lifted beneath the aircraft while remotely guided by the rescue team.
The operation involved the 92nd Brigade, the 30th Brigade, the Ground Forces’ drone force and the 10th Army Corps, working with Gurzuf Defence. The company’s heavy-lift platform was originally designed to carry battlefield payloads and required modifications and procedures to limit swinging and maintain stability with a suspended human load. Airspace monitoring, remote piloting and electronic-warfare protection were also required during the flight.
The soldier survived and was receiving treatment and rehabilitation, with his life no longer in danger. Ukrainian forces have previously used unmanned ground vehicles for casualty evacuation, but the claim that this was the world’s first comparable aerial rescue has not been independently verified. The mission date, exact location and the aircraft’s human-payload specifications were not disclosed.