Ukrainian defense company SkyFall has developed StarGate, a drone designed to evacuate wounded soldiers by air without risk to the rescue crew. The drone can lift up to 150 kg and travel up to 15 km in one direction. This week it was handed over to a combat brigade for testing in front-line conditions.
Ukrainian defense company SkyFall has developed StarGate, a drone designed to evacuate wounded soldiers by air without risk to the rescue crew. The drone can lift up to 150 kg and travel up to 15 km in one direction. This week it was handed over to a combat brigade for testing in front-line conditions.
This is reported by the Associated Press.
The idea for StarGate was born right on the front lines. Last year, the commander of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment Code 9.2, call sign Flint, approached the founder of SkyFall with a request to create a safer way to evacuate the wounded from hard-to-reach positions.
Ground-based robotic systems already help evacuate combatants, but they can get stuck in mud, encounter potholes, minefields, or damaged roads. According to the commander of the Code 9.2 unit, it usually takes a ground robot two to three hours to reach a position. Sometimes the wounded cannot be picked up even on the same day. So StarGate should reduce this time, as it can fly 10 km in a matter of minutes.
A special medical capsule with a stretcher is attached to the drone, in which a soldier can be transported along with a bulletproof vest and equipment. The one-way flight range is 15 km, the cruising speed is 65 km/h. According to the developers, the device can be prepared for flight in about 10 minutes.
Engineers paid special attention to protection against Russian drones and electronic warfare. During the demonstration, FPV drones were launched towards it and electronic warfare equipment was turned on. When one of the drones approached, StarGate fired a net that entangled the attacking drone and knocked it off course.
Engineers also made sure that the device does not lose control due to Russian electronic warfare. For communication, it uses Starlink and SkyFall's own system called L-Link. In addition to manual control, the drone has AI functions that help it navigate without GPS or during signal jamming.
If communication with the operator is completely lost, StarGate, according to the developers, will be able to independently navigate to a safe area. It also has thermal imaging cameras for night flights and is designed to operate in rain and snow.
SkyFall even claims that the drone can continue flying after losing one of its beams. However, how well it can withstand damage in combat remains to be seen.
One complex will cost at least $50,000, depending on the configuration. By the end of 2026, the company plans to produce up to 1,000 such drones per month.
In the meantime, StarGate has to prove that it can save people on the front lines. Code 9.2 claims that it will take at least a month of operation with the device to draw any first conclusions.
"This is a completely new method of evacuation. It is difficult to talk in detail about its advantages and disadvantages now. We need to work with it more," said the commander of Code 9.2.
Previously, dev.ua wrote that the Ukrainian military is already testing heavy aerial drones capable of evacuating the wounded from the battlefield.
