A drone evacuates wounded soldier over 62 kilometres in Ukraine

2026-11-02

The Ukrainian army says it evacuated a wounded soldier from a combat zone for the first time using an aerial drone.
The soldier strapped himself to the aircraft, which carried him 62 kilometres during an operation lasting 1 hour and 14 minutes.
Mines and Russian drones made a conventional evacuation from the wounded soldier’s position impossible.
The manufacturer describes aerial evacuation as a last resort, given the risks to casualties transported through the air.
The soldier’s unit and manufacturer Gurzuv Defence prepared the operation for two months.