According to Tom's Hardware, Ukraine's military is claiming a world first after using an unmanned hexacopter to evacuate an injured soldier from the eastern Kharkiv front. The operation involved a heavy Gurzuf Defence hexacopter operated by soldiers from the 92nd Assault Brigade and the 30th Mechanized Brigade. The wounded infantryman, callsign Kostya, was in a heavily mined area that was also exposed to Russian kamikaze drones, making a land rescue impossible.
The article contains conflicting distance figures. It says various media reports placed Kostya 11 miles (18km) behind enemy lines, but a key-facts box lists the rescue distance as 8km (11 miles). The drone is rated to carry up to 130kg, and the soldier weighed about 80kg. Ukrainian support drones, including kamikaze devices and UAVs with anti-drone nets, were present during the flight.
After clipping into a harness, Kostya was flown back to safer territory and is now in recovery. UAV operator 'Black' said many people were involved and everything worked out. Brigade leader 'Napalm' indicated the operation could mark the start of a new system for evacuating wounded or stranded soldiers using drone technology.