KYIV, Ukraine (AP) — Ukraine’s military has begun using specialized aerial rescue drones to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield, carrying two stranded troops to safety near the Russian border in the first such operations, an elite military unit said Monday.
The newly developed StarGate drone, a six-rotor aircraft fitted with an enclosed evacuation capsule, was used in two separate missions over the past week, according to the 475th Separate Assault Regiment.
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One of the rescued servicemen, a 24-year-old from the 1st Territorial Defense Brigade identified by his call sign, “Izyum,” told The Associated Press he waited two days to be evacuated and was unable to walk 20 kilometers (12 miles) out of the combat zone. The soldier's name was not given for security reasons and in accordance with Ukraine's military protocol.
“The injury tore off half of my foot, so a lot of blood was lost already,” he said in a video interview from his hospital room. “I think if that incredible little bird hadn’t flown in, well, getting out from there would have been unrealistic.”
The drone, carrying an orange-and-black, cigar-shaped stretcher, landed in a field where tall grass was tangled with fiber-optic spool cable, raising fears among Izyum and fellow soldiers that it could get stuck.
The flight to safety lasted less than 15 minutes.
“From the bottom of my heart, I am so grateful that they actually flew in and picked me up,” he said.
The 475th regiment, also known as Code 9.2, had tested StarGate for several weeks before deploying it on the battlefield.
It said both rescued men had sustained “severe limb injuries and were at positions in the gray zone, approximately 5 kilometers (3 miles) from the state border with Russia,” referring to a strip of territory separating Ukrainian and Russian forces.
The drone was designed to evacuate injured soldiers from high-risk areas where heavy artillery fire and hostile drone activity make rescue operations dangerous.
Developed by Ukrainian technology company SkyFall, the drone is intended to reduce rescue times from hours to minutes, reaching hard-to-access combat zones that are currently served by unmanned ground vehicles.
The Associated Press was granted exclusive access to the drone earlier this month, ahead of the final stage of testing.
The manufacturer says the drone can carry 150 kilograms (330 pounds) and is equipped with signal jammers and autonomous navigation to counter Russian electronic warfare systems. A company spokesperson said SkyFall planned to create a dedicated unit for the rescue drones, providing pilots and deployment specialists.
“Service members who weren't sure if they would ever make it out of their positions are now able to return home and hug their children,” the spokesperson told the AP. The person spoke on condition of anonymity, citing security risks facing Ukrainian military technology personnel.
The commander of the Code 9.2 regiment, identified by the call sign “Flint,” said aerial evacuations could significantly improve rescue efforts.
“In the future, we plan to make changes to the staffing structure of our regiment and create a separate medical aviation unit within the medical company,” he said. “It will specialize directly in evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield by air transport.”
Izyum, who hopes to return to beekeeping after the war, said he expects aerial rescue operations to expand.
“I think this needs to be developed and expanded because we have a lot of guys who cannot get out of the situations they find themselves in,” he said.
“Having to walk very many kilometers with that level of shelling that is going on, whether walking yourself or carrying a wounded person — let’s just say making it out of there is not very likely.”
