In the ‘kill zone’, Ukraine bets on flying evacuation drones

Undisclosed, Ukraine – Ukrainian soldier Yevgen had been stuck on the front line for two days, his foot torn off by a mine. Just as he was losing hope, a comrade told him salvation was coming from above: a flying evacuation drone.

“I said, ‘You’re kidding, right? You’re just trying to cheer me up’,” he said.

Now recovering in hospital, Yevgen – whose surname cannot be disclosed for security reasons – was one of the first Ukrainians to be evacuated by an aerial medical drone.

Almost five years after Russia invaded, drones have transformed the very nature of modern warfare.

They dominate the skies, with the front line now known as a “kill zone” several kilometres deep. There, both sides can send explosives-packed machines crashing down at the slightest sign of movement below.

That has made rescuing wounded soldiers caught inside the kill zone almost impossible for ground forces and combat medics.

Instead, Ukrainian drone producers have turned their hand to evacuation craft.

The one that saved Yevgen – called Stargate and developed by Ukrainian manufacturer Skyfall – has been used in three missions.

“Later in the evening, the company commander called me and asked, ‘Well, are you ready to fly?’,” said Yevgen.

Footage from the drone’s camera shows him taking his place in the pod – a flying stretcher then covered with a lid – in the dark of night as he clutched a gun to his chest.

As he was flown back, supply and surveillance drones buzzed below and above him, their silhouettes cast against the night moon.

Despite his fear, “there was no other option”, he said.

Secret location

The carbon-fibre drones are assembled in a secret hangar that resembles a laboratory.

The idea of an evacuation drone came from a request of the commander of Ukraine’s CODE 9.2 assault brigade.

“A year later, we had the Stargate,” a Skyfall representative said, speaking on condition of anonymity.

It was born from “operational need” rather than any new technological breakthrough.

Ukraine had previously been using ground drones to evacuate its wounded from dangerous positions. But they can only travel at 10kmh, and struggle to cross rivers, minefields and other tricky terrain.

“They are also easy targets,” the company spokesman added. “A mission can last several hours.”

Stargate can travel at 105kmh and carry loads of up to 150kg with a range of 30km.

Each one costs about US$50,000 (S$64,400).

In the workshop, several were lined up along a central aisle. Behind them, the metal frames of prototypes collect dust.

Skyfall aims to produce 1,000 per month by the end of 2026.

Outside the factory, a test flight: the 400kg machine rose into the air with a roar resembling an imminent thunderstorm.

Behind the controls were trainee pilots. Until now, they had only navigated drones carrying supplies – or bombs.

‘Silence’

“As soon as I picked him up, everyone went quiet,” said the drone pilot who rescued Yevgen.

“There was just silence, library silence,” added the pilot, known by his call sign of “KVN”. “This time, there was a person on board.”

Before take-off, several Russian attack drones were spotted – forcing a suspension.

A second attempt was also aborted.

The third time around, the drone finally took off, climbing to an altitude of 100m.

Russian electronic jammers briefly cut KVN’s link with the drone – a nerve-wracking moment as it hovered for a while in the middle of the aerial battlefield.

After a few seconds, the on-board artificial intelligence took over, until the connection was restored.

The whole evacuation took about 15 minutes and was closely monitored by a team of Ukrainian troops.

The army is cautiously optimistic about the technology.

“We need more examples in the field to really assess the system (but) it looks promising,” said one officer, speaking on condition of anonymity.

For KVN, the drones represent “a future, driven by technology, that will bring soldiers back to their families”.

Yevgen is a preacher now, trying to convert his fellow comrades who are “afraid”.

“I send them messages to explain that they have nothing to fear.” AFP