--- title: "Ukraine’s StarGate Drone Now Evacuating Wounded Soldiers" description: "The purpose-built aerial CASEVAC platform is claimed to have completed two battlefield evacuations in a week, including a mission under electronic attack. The purpose-built aerial CASEVAC platform completed two battlefield evacuations in a week, including a mission under Russian electronic warfare attack." date: "2026-10-27" modified: "2026-10-27" authors: - name: "Thomas Newdick" job_title: "Staff Writer" link: "https://www.twz.com/authors/thomas-newdick.md" url: "https://www.twz.com/air/ukraines-stargate-drone-now-evacuating-wounded-soldiers" categories: - "Air" - "Around The Globe" - "Drones" - "Europe" - "News & Features" - "Search And Rescue" - "Ukraine" --- # Ukraine’s StarGate Drone Now Evacuating Wounded Soldiers ![Ukraine’s 475th Separate Assault Regiment, known as CODE 9.2, says it has used the StarGate uncrewed aerial platform to evacuate two seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield in the span of a week. The missions offer another example of Ukraine’s efforts to develop aerial casualty evacuation capabilities as Russian drone threats, electronic warfare, and difficult terrain increasingly complicate conventional recovery operations.]() *SkyFall* Ukraine’s 475th Separate Assault Regiment, known as CODE 9.2, says it has used the StarGate uncrewed aerial platform to evacuate two seriously wounded soldiers from the battlefield in the span of a week. Reportedly, this is the first time the specialized drone has been used for an operation of this kind. It is not, however, the first instance of Ukraine using an aerial rescue drone on the battlefield, with the more extemporized heavy hexacopter also having been used recently, as you can read about [here](). Taken together, the missions underscore Ukraine’s efforts to develop alternative casualty evacuation capabilities as Russian drone threats, electronic warfare, and harsh terrain increasingly complicate conventional recovery operations, including those [using uncrewed ground vehicles]() (UGVs). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_dyOFqAuOxU According to CODE 9.2, on its [Facebook]() page, the regiment’s personnel carried out two complex evacuation missions using StarGate, a platform developed and manufactured by Ukrainian company SkyFall. The two wounded servicemen were 25-year-old Yevhen, callsign “Izyum,” and 24-year-old Artem, callsign “Kolobok.” Both belonged to adjacent units and had suffered severe limb injuries while occupying positions in a so-called gray zone approximately three miles from the Russian border. Difficult terrain, including water obstacles, and the threat posed by Russian first-person-view (FPV) drones prevented ground vehicles from reaching the casualties, the regiment said. Air evacuation was the only available option. ![]() *Drone operators watch as two soldiers carry their injured comrade to the SkyFall drone for evacuation. *CODE 9.2/screencap** The missions were planned and executed by CODE 9.2 personnel with support from SkyFall. They required coordination among multiple units, additional forces and equipment, and dedicated fire support — much like a more traditional [casualty evacuation effort involving crewed helicopters](). Vampire heavy strike drones were employed to suppress enemy positions during the operations. “The injury tore off half of my foot, so a lot of blood was lost already,” Izyum said [in a video interview]() from his hospital room. “I think if that incredible little bird hadn’t flown in, well, getting out from there would have been unrealistic.” During one of the missions, StarGate reportedly flew nearly 20 miles to reach the casualty before covering approximately the same distance on the return leg with the wounded serviceman aboard. CODE 9.2 said [Russian electronic warfare systems]() were actively attempting to suppress satellite navigation signals in the area. ![]() *An injured soldier is helped out of the drone after recovery to a safe area. *CODE 9.2/screencap** Despite the reported interference, the platform completed the mission using its onboard artificial intelligence-based navigation system, according to the regiment. The statement did not specify the navigation technologies involved. StarGate was designed specifically for casualty evacuation, or CASEVAC, when conventional ground transportation cannot reach wounded personnel or would expose them to unacceptable risks. Its stated specifications include a payload capacity of up to 330 pounds and a maximum speed of approximately 65 miles per hour. The evacuation module is based on a covered, medical-grade stretcher. ![]() *StarGate on the ground. *SkyFall** Oleksandr Nastenko, commander of CODE 9.2, callsign “Flint,” said the regiment intends to use the experience gained from the two missions to train crews and make aerial evacuation a more established capability. The regiment also plans to set up a dedicated aerial medical evacuation unit within its medical company. The StarGate missions follow a separate reported operation involving the 92nd Assault Brigade, which says its personnel helped evacuate a wounded soldier using a heavy-lift hexacopter drone, produced by Gurzuf Defense, with the casualty suspended beneath it, as seen in the video below: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hEfcKl4TTmY This drone was reportedly an [Audag-6 model](), which is said to be capable of carrying a 200-pound payload over a distance of up to 15 miles. In that incident, the soldier had been wounded while holding his position. Once again, aerial extraction was judged the only suitable option; in this case, due to the presence of mines and intense Russian drone activity. This was a more improvised approach, which the brigade described as the world’s first frontline aerial drone evacuation of a wounded soldier. Compared to Stargate, the Gurzuf drone brings some drawbacks with it, including casualty stability, exposure to the elements, the risk of swinging during flight, and the difficulty of safely lifting and lowering a severely injured person. It subsequently emerged that the soldier involved, Kostiantyn Vlasenko, had been forced to amputate his own foot as part of a [491-day ordeal]() on a frontline position. ![]() *A soldier clipped to the underside of a Gurzuf drone via a harness is flown to safety. *92nd Assault Brigade/YouTube screencap** This was not the first time that Ukrainian forces have adapted existing drone technology to effect battlefield evacuations. *TWZ* also [previously reported]() on a Ukrainian soldier who managed to escape from the Russians that surrounded him after an electric bike was dropped to him by a large aerial drone. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ay0JTyCw_O4 As a purpose-built platform, StarGate offers a more standardized way to secure and transport casualties, and to transport them protected from the elements, in a secure, prone position. However, StarGate still faces the challenges of flying in contested airspace and navigating under electronic warfare conditions. Once again, depending on the degree of injuries, the casualty may need assistance being put on the stretcher and, regardless of the degree of medical care that can be provided, StarGate is only an option if already available in proximity to the victim. ![]() *Close-up view of the StarGate stretcher. *SkyFall** The fact that the StarGate missions also needed strike drones for fire support underscores that casualty recovery, whatever the platform being used, typically requires coordination across multiple combat elements. Despite the limitations, CODE 9.2’s plan to create a dedicated medical aviation element indicates it wants to move beyond one-off missions toward a repeatable capability. ![]() *StarGate in flight. *SkyFall** As with other emerging technologies from the war in Ukraine, this is likely to be studied by other armed forces, too. The U.S. military, for example, has long looked at the potential of uncrewed aerial systems to effect casualty evacuation missions, as you can read about here. Meanwhile, the challenges of that conflict mean that Ukrainian troops continue to explore different ways to recover wounded troops from positions that more conventional evacuation methods can no longer safely reach. *Contact the author: thomas@thewarzone.com* ## Author Thomas Newdick is a staff writer at *TWZ*, where he covers military aviation, defense technology, weapons systems, and international security. Based in Berlin, Germany, he reports on conflicts, military modernization efforts, and emerging aerospace technologies around the world, with a particular interest in airpower and its role in contemporary warfare. His reporting is informed by deep expertise in modern and historical airpower, particularly in Europe, with a focus on military aviation, air campaigns, and aerospace developments across the continent and beyond. Over a journalism career spanning more than 25 years, Thomas has become known for making complex defense and aerospace topics accessible to a broad audience. His reporting combines technical expertise, historical context, and a focus on the real-world operational and strategic implications of military developments. ### Author social links [Twitter]() ## More - [China’s Mysterious Ekranoplan Seen In Full For First Time]() - [Congress Questions Air Force’s Combat Rescue Readiness As HH-60W Helicopters Get Turned Into VIP Transports]() - [F-15E Weapon Systems Officer Shot Down Over Iran Has Been Rescued (Updated)]() - [Angry Kitten Electronic Warfare Pod Spotted Flying On HC-130J Combat Rescue Plane]() - [HH-60W Combat Rescue Helicopters To Take On Doomsday Evacuation Role In The Nation’s Capital]() - [Angry Kitten Jamming Pod Testing On HC-130J Focuses On Receiving Threat Updates Via Satellite]() - [HH-60W Driving Overhaul Of Air Force’s Search And Rescue Playbook]() - [Swedish Submarine Rescue Ship Heads To Investigate Pipeline Sabotage]()