Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade recently released video footage documenting what it describes as the world’s first aerial drone evacuation of a wounded soldier. The operation took place in a high-risk zone where conventional unmanned ground vehicles were deemed unusable due to intense enemy drone activity and the presence of landmines. According to the brigade, these environmental hazards forced specialists to develop a novel solution for extracting personnel from the front lines.
The mission utilized a large hexacopter—a multi-rotor aircraft with six rotors—originally designed by a Ukrainian manufacturer as a bomber. In the provided footage, an unidentified infantryman is seen strapping himself into the craft, which appears roughly twice his size. To ensure safety during the flight, unit members had to calibrate the drone to carry human weight without tipping over or swaying excessively. A squad leader and programmer within the brigade noted that the soldier was considered a hero for consenting to the unconventional rescue method after seeing the scale of the machinery involved.
This image illustrates the specific drone evacuation operation described in the first and second paragraphs of the article.
This development follows broader technological shifts in the conflict, characterized by both sides using drones to mitigate human casualties. While this specific instance focused on medical extraction, the Ukrainian government has also approved experimental projects to use drones for wider medical logistics, such as transporting blood samples and donor organs between hospitals. However, the report notes that while Ukraine continues to innovate in autonomous systems, its operational capabilities remain subject to external factors including intelligence sharing and access to satellite communication services like Starlink.