Ukrainian Defense Forces Begin Testing Drone-Based Air Evacuation

The Ukrainian Defense Forces have started testing the use of heavy drones to airlift wounded soldiers from the battlefield.

TSN correspondent Yuliia Kyriienko shared the news on Telegram and posted a video of the test.

The video shows a large multicopter drone carrying a person simulating an injured soldier.

The military is considering this method as an alternative to ground evacuation vehicles and robotic systems, which are increasingly unable to reach frontline positions because of constant Russian drone attacks.

“Amid a shortage of ground robotic systems, and as an alternative to slower robotic platforms vulnerable to enemy FPV drones, evacuation using multicopters could fundamentally change battlefield medical support,” Kyriienko said.

The use of heavy multicopter drones could transform the battlefield medical evacuation system at a time when traditional evacuation methods have become increasingly dangerous.

However, implementing such a concept requires not only highly skilled drone operators but also proper protection for the capsule carrying the wounded person during transport.

Another key challenge is protecting the multicopter itself from enemy FPV drone attacks.

Unmanned ground vehicles for evacuation

Ukrainian forces are already increasingly using ground-based unmanned systems to evacuate wounded soldiers from frontline positions.

For example, in the Zaporizhzhia sector, ground drones operated by the 210th Separate Assault Regiment recently carried out three successful evacuation missions in a single day, rescuing four wounded defenders.

These systems can reach positions that are too dangerous for medics or evacuation teams to access directly.

In April, on the Lyman front, a ground robotic system operated by the 3rd Army Corps evacuated a 77-year-old woman who had been trying to leave the dangerous area on her own.