October 19, 2026
Ukraine Carries Out World’s First Drone Evacuation of a Wounded Soldier
Ukraine’s 92nd Separate Assault Brigade announced on October 19 what it calls the world’s first aerial evacuation of a wounded soldier directly from a front-line position — carried out by drone. A wounded infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanized Brigade was flown out on a heavy six-rotor hexacopter built by Ukrainian manufacturer Gurzuf Defence.
Ground rescue was not an option. The soldier’s position was surrounded by mined terrain and watched by Russian drones, so even the unmanned ground vehicles Ukraine routinely uses for casualty evacuation could not get through. Working with the manufacturer, the brigade’s drone specialists adapted the heavy bomber-style hexacopter to carry a person without tipping or swaying in flight.
The mission succeeded: the soldier is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger, according to Ukraine’s military news agency ArmyInform. The brigade did not disclose the date or location of the evacuation for security reasons.
Ukraine has used ground robots to pull wounded troops out before, but this is the first reported case of an aircraft lifting a person off the battlefield. The brigade called it “a historic event — the next stage in evacuating the wounded.”