Ukraine is the first country in the world to develop evacuation drones, which make it possible to rescue service personnel in places where ground evacuation is impossible. In October 2026, the Armed Forces of Ukraine carried out the world’s first medical evacuation using a heavy drone.
This was reported by Ukraine’s Ministry of Defence.
The development of evacuation drones is being led by the Brave1 defence innovation cluster with support from the Ministry of Defence.
With drones being used on a mass scale, traditional evacuation methods are often no longer available. Ground robotic systems are currently used to extract wounded soldiers, but their speed is limited. For critically wounded fighters, delays can be critical, so aerial drones could become an alternative where routes are mined or blocked by the enemy.
In 2024, Brave1, together with the military, set requirements for this new area of defence technology. The drones must be able to reliably carry a 130 kg payload over a distance of at least 15 km.
They must also have an integrated communications system with at least three alternative types, enabling them to operate under electronic warfare conditions. In addition, the drones can be equipped with lidars, optical stabilisation systems and GPS-denied navigation.
In October 2026, Ukrainian troops carried out the medical evacuation of an infantryman from the 30th Separate Mechanised Brigade from a position blocked by the enemy.
The operation was carried out by the “Heavy Shot Ayudag-6” hexacopter from a Brave1 participant. The drone weighs 98 kg, has a payload capacity of 130 kg, and during the mission covered more than 15 km one way.
Preparation took several months and drew on the experience of the ground robotic systems company of the 92nd Separate Assault Brigade. The serviceman was dropped evacuation equipment in advance, which he used to secure himself to the copter’s winch.
During the evacuation, adjacent units launched their strike drones to divert the attention of Russian anti-air drones away from the rescue aircraft.
Recently, the Ukrainian company Brave1 presented the Stargate system, developed specifically for evacuating troops at the request of assault units.
The drone can be deployed in 10 minutes and is capable of carrying up to 150 kg of payload at speeds of up to 105 km/h. It is equipped with a medical module with a stretcher.
Thanks to artificial intelligence-based software, the drone can plot a route autonomously and return to a safe zone even if navigation is completely jammed.
Using Stargate, assault troops from the CODE 9.2 regiment carried out two successful aerial evacuations of critically wounded fighters from the grey zone within one week. The servicemen were 5 km from the border with the Russian Federation. Due to difficult terrain, water obstacles and the threat of FPV drones, evacuating them by ground transport was impossible.
The drone covered almost 30 km one way and returned with the wounded on board despite enemy electronic warfare. It navigated using artificial intelligence. The operation was covered by heavy strike drones, which struck enemy positions.