Servicemen of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment CODE 9.2 evacuated two critically wounded soldiers from neighbouring units over the course of a week using the Ukrainian StarGate casevac drone. The servicemen reported this on Facebook.
The rescued soldiers were 25-year-old Yevhen, call sign “Izyum”, and 24-year-old Artem, known as “Kolobok”, from the 129th Separate Heavy Mechanised Brigade. Both sustained severe limb injuries and were in the grey zone, about five kilometres from the border with Russia. Due to difficult terrain, water obstacles and the threat of enemy FPV drones, ground evacuation was impossible. The only available way to save them was evacuation by air.
Over the week, CODE 9.2 servicemen planned, prepared and successfully carried out two complex evacuation missions. The SkyFall team, the developer and manufacturer of the StarGate casevac, also took part in their preparation and execution.
The operations required coordinated interaction between several units, the involvement of additional forces and assets, and the organisation of fire cover. In particular, heavy Vampire strike drones were used to suppress enemy positions.
“During one of the missions, StarGate covered almost 30 km to reach the serviceman’s position and roughly the same distance on the way back—this time with the fighter on board. In the area of the operation, the enemy actively used electronic warfare, trying to completely suppress satellite navigation signals. Despite this, thanks to the drone’s AI-based navigation system and the pilots’ skill, it was possible to fly in conditions without satellite navigation and successfully complete the evacuation mission,” the unit said.
According to the commander of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment “CODE 9.2”, Oleksandr Nastenko, call sign “Flint”, the next task is to use the experience gained to train crews and make such missions a systematic practice.
As a reminder, the Ukrainian defence technology company SkyFall presented the StarGate drone for airborne medical evacuation of the wounded in mid-October.
According to the manufacturer, StarGate’s one-way range is 15 kilometres. The drone can carry a payload of up to 150 kilograms. The company said this is enough to transport a wounded serviceman wearing body armour and carrying combat gear.
The drone’s stated cruising speed is 65 km/h, with a maximum of up to 105 km/h. According to SkyFall, preparing the aircraft for flight takes about 10 minutes.