A wounded Ukrainian soldier is the first to be medevaced out of a combat zone by drone. He was airlifted by a Heavy Shot "Ayudag-6" modular hexacopter with a special sling and winch.
Aerial medevac missions have been conducted since the First World War, when the French Air Service carried out small-scale evacuations of wounded soldiers from the front lines using modified Dorand AR.1 biplanes. The techniques were refined between the wars by the French, British, German, and Spanish armed forces, and during the Second World War, tens of thousands of casualties were flown across the European and Pacific theaters. The first helicopter medevacs were later made by the US Army Air Force in Burma in 1944.
Today, military medevac is routine, with some helicopters bringing intensive care equipment and specialized trauma teams directly into the field where needed. However, standard evacuation methods were impossible is a recent Ukraine incident.
A Ukrainian soldier, identified as 49-year-old Kostiantyn of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade, suffered severe leg injuries and was pinned down in a heavily shelled "grey zone" between Ukrainian and Russian positions. Because ground evacuation routes were heavily mined and subject to heavy Russian fire, sending in armored vehicles or conventional helicopters was deemed impossible. For days, drones dropped food, water, and medical supplies directly to his position to keep him alive.
Charged with recovering the casualty, the 10th Army Corps and the 92nd Brigade collaborated with Ukrainian drone manufacturer Gurzuf Defence to adapt a Heavy Shot "Ayudag-6" hexacopter. Normally used for heavy logistics and heavy munitions delivery, the 98-kg (216-lb) aircraft, which is capable of lifting up to 130 kg (287 lb), was heavily modified. Engineers equipped the drone with a Starlink communications system with anti-jamming capabilities, a modular harness to carry supplies out and the wounded soldier back, an electric cargo winch, and night-vision/thermal-imaging. In addition, the airframe was upgraded for greater stability in flight to prevent the patient from swinging excessively.
Piloted by operators from the 92nd Brigade's Unmanned Systems unit, the Ayudag-6 delivered the harness to Kostiantyn, who secured himself with guidance from fellow soldiers. The heavy drone then lifted him out of danger across contested territory to a secure location. From there, ground teams transported him to Kharkiv Military Hospital, where he is reported to be in stable condition.
Source: Gurzuf Defence
