Ukraine's Heavy Drone Evacuates Battlefield Casualties for First Time
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In October 2026, Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade completed the first aerial evacuation of battlefield casualties using the heavy six-rotor drone Heavy Shot AYUDAG 6, provided free of charge by Gurzuf Defence. The frontline area, threatened by Russian drones and land mines, was inaccessible to wheeled ground robots, and the wounded soldier had held his position for nearly 500 days. During the evacuation, the soldier was lifted out via a winch and safety harness, with the flight lasting 1 hour and 14 minutes over nearly 39 miles (about 62 km). The drone can carry a payload of 200 pounds (about 90 kg). This operation put the concept of drone casualty evacuation into real combat use and is considered a breakthrough in battlefield medical evacuation methods. Currently, only one report covers the event, and no follow-up developments have been disclosed.
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- Ars Technica · AIUkraine’s drone rescue of wounded soldier puts much touted idea into practice
Ukraine's 92nd Assault Brigade carried out the first battlefield aerial casualty evacuation using the Heavy Shot AYUDAG 6 heavy hexacopter drone provided free by Gurzuf Defence, lifting the soldier out with a winch and safety harness. The flight lasted 1 hour 14 minutes over nearly 39 miles (62 km), and the drone can carry 200 pounds (90 kg). With Russian drones and mines making wheeled ground robots unable to reach the area, the wounded soldier had held his position for nearly 500 days.
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