Ukrainian drone rescues wounded soldier on frontline in ‘world first’
The Ukrainian military claims it pulled off the first drone rescue of a wounded soldier by airlifting him from the battlefield.
Dramatic video released by the country’s armed forces shows the injured soldier clipping himself onto the large unmanned aircraft.
Ukraine claims it carried out the first battlefield rescue of a wounded soldier using a drone. Armed forces of Ukraine
The drone, piloted by a remote operator, is then flown at what appears to be relatively low altitude over blurred-out terrain in an unidentified part of Ukraine.
The drone carefully lowers him, and the operator greets him with “Welcome back to the ground!”
Footage also shows blurred faces of the drone crew who launched the mission.
A Facebook post from the Ukrainian military said the unidentified infantryman was wounded at his position.
“Due to intense enemy drone activity and the presence of landmines, evacuation using conventional unmanned ground vehicles was impossible.”
Ukrainian soldiers organised the rescue mission using a “heavy” hexacopter developed by a local manufacturer, ensuring it could safely carry a person while remaining stable in flight.
The wounded soldier was surrounded by landmines and unable to be rescued by Ukrainian ground forces. Armed forces of Ukraine
“The operation was successful. The soldier is now receiving treatment and rehabilitation, and his life is no longer in danger,” the post said.
Ukraine and Russian have increasingly turned to technology during the war in a bid to reduce mounting casualties.
Ukraine, faced by mounting air strikes from its neighbour, has developed cheap interceptor drones for its air defence systems to protect cities and industrial sites.
Costing about $US2200 ($3150) each, they’ve proved a cheap and effective complement to the advanced US-designed Patriot missile which has a price tag of about $US2 million ($2.8 million).
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