From Business Insider · Jake Epstein · · 1m 40s
Ukraine uses heavy drones to rescue wounded troops
Ukrainian forces have begun evacuating injured soldiers by drone from the battlefield, but officials warn the risky tactic should only be used as a last resort.
In brief
Ukrainian forces have begun evacuating injured soldiers by drone from the battlefield, but officials warn the risky tactic should only be used as a last resort. Ukraine has deployed heavy-lift drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from frontline positions where ground evacuation is impossible, though officials say the…
Ukraine develops heavy-lift rescue drones
Several Ukrainian companies have built heavy-lift drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Ukraine began developing the technology two years ago to handle complex technical requirements.
First evacuation carried out Monday
Ukraine's 92nd Separate Assault Brigade used a six-rotor hexacopter made by Gurzuf Defense to carry out what it described as a first-ever air evacuation of a wounded soldier from the front lines.
Why drones when ground robots exist
Land mines and Russian drones made ground robot evacuation too dangerous. Heavy-lift aerial evacuation provided the only option to rescue the wounded soldier who could not walk on their own.
A lifeline of last resort
Denys Lohvynenko, drone chief at Brave1, Ukraine's state-backed innovation platform, said heavy-lift drones provide time-sensitive rescue in dangerous situations where other evacuation methods are unavailable.
“In these situations, heavy-lift aerial evacuation serves as a lifeline of last resort.”
Big drones are big targets
Samuel Bendett, a drone warfare expert at the Center for Naval Analyses, told Business Insider that certain elite Russian military units are focused on downing such aircraft in contested airspace.
Drones reserved for emergencies only
Ukraine understands the risks of using large drones in contested airspace along the front lines. Heavy-lift drones are equipped with electronic warfare and alternative communications, and are reserved only for high-risk, high-priority emergencies.
The bottom line
Ukraine has deployed heavy-lift drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from frontline positions where ground evacuation is impossible, though officials say the dangerous method should remain a last resort.
