Ukraine says it evacuated a wounded soldier by heavy drone
Ukraine's military says it flew a wounded soldier out of a front-line position by drone, in what it calls a world first, CBS News and NBC News reported. Russian drones and mines had blocked ground routes. The flight lasted about an hour and 15 minutes.
Ukraine's military says it has evacuated a wounded soldier from a front-line position using a heavy-lift aerial drone, in what Ukraine says is the world's first such mission, NBC News reported. The Ukrainian Ground Forces' 92nd Assault Brigade announced the operation on Monday, CBS News reported.
The soldier, who serves with the 30th Mechanized Brigade, had spent nearly 500 days at a front-line position, Kyiv Independent reported, citing manufacturer Gurzuf Defense. After he was badly wounded, Russian drone activity and mined terrain made evacuation by ground impossible, according to Kyiv Independent. An earlier rescue attempt with a ground drone was destroyed on its way to him, CBS News reported, citing a Ukrainian battalion.
The team first sent equipment with carabiners, then a hexacopter fitted with a winch, and the soldier strapped himself in, Kyiv Independent reported. The drone carried him to a safer position. The mission lasted 1 hour, 14 minutes and 36 seconds and covered 62 kilometers, or 39 miles, according to Kyiv Independent. The military did not say when or where it took place.
The drone was first built as a bomber, and specialists modified it to carry a person without flipping over or swaying too much, NBC News reported, citing the brigade. The soldier is receiving treatment and his life is no longer in danger, the 30th Brigade said, according to Kyiv Independent.
A Gurzuf Defense co-founder said aerial evacuation should not become routine because of the risks to wounded soldiers in flight, Kyiv Independent reported. "Air rescue is a last resort when there is no other way to save a person," he said, according to Kyiv Independent.
Days earlier, Ukraine's government approved an "experimental project" to use drones for medical logistics, NBC News reported. Russia's full-scale invasion is nearing the five-year mark, CBS News reported.
What we know: Ukraine says a heavy drone flew a wounded soldier about 39 miles to safety after ground routes were blocked.
What we don't: When and where the mission took place.
Where outlets agree Kyiv Independent, CBS News and NBC News report that Ukrainian forces used a heavy-lift hexacopter drone to evacuate a wounded soldier when ground routes were blocked.
Where they differ CBS News reports that four brigades took part and the mission took seven days to prepare, while Kyiv Independent names two brigades, the 10th Army Corps and Gurzuf Defense as taking part.