Ukraine Brigade Claims First Aerial-Drone Evacuation of Wounded Soldier
Ukraine’s 92nd Assault Brigade says it used a heavy-lift drone to evacuate a wounded soldier, calling it a first.
The brigade released video of the operation, NBC News reported. The footage shows the soldier strapping himself into a large drone and being flown at what appears to be relatively low altitude over blurred-out territory. The drone carefully lowers him to the ground, and the operator greets him with “Welcome back to the ground!” The faces of the drone operators who carried out the mission are blurred in the video.
The brigade said the unidentified infantryman was wounded at his position. “Due to intense enemy drone activity and the presence of landmines, evacuation using conventional unmanned ground vehicles was impossible,” the brigade said. It added that specialists in the unit then attempted “something that had never been done before: evacuating a serviceman using an aerial drone.”
The craft was a heavy-lift hexacopter originally designed as a bomber by a Ukrainian manufacturer, according to the brigade. In the video it appears about twice the size of the soldier. The unit said the specialists working on the mission had to ensure the drone could carry a human being without flipping over or swaying excessively.
Editor's Summary
Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade says a heavy-lift hexacopter evacuated a wounded soldier after ground routes were deemed too dangerous because of enemy drones and landmines. The brigade released video of the operation and described it as the first evacuation of a service member by aerial drone. The drone was originally designed as a bomber and was used for the rescue mission, according to the unit.