"Star Gate" Drone Can Transport Frontline Casualties

Reference News Network reported on October 20 According to the Spanish newspaper "Economist" website on October 17, Ukraine is launching a new model of drone with varying degrees of innovation almost every week. Now, the Ukrainian Armed Forces have begun testing a new type of drone named "Stargate" at the front lines. This model is specifically designed for the evacuation of casualties from the battlefield or other high-risk areas, where conventional vehicles and rescue equipment cannot enter.

It has been reported that Ukraine previously had ground unmanned vehicles capable of autonomously rescuing casualties in high-risk areas, but there were no aerial vehicles. In fact, in April of this year, a unit of the Ukrainian army completed six casualty evacuation missions in one day using ground robots under the continuous threat of Russian drones. Two months later, the Ukrainian army reported that in the first year of operation of its ground robots, over 600 wounded soldiers had been successfully evacuated, with a total of more than 18,000 missions completed.

Ukrainian media disclosed that Ukraine is currently testing a new type of vehicle that can also rescue casualties at the front lines, but this time it is not a ground unmanned vehicle, but a drone. An Associated Press reporter exclusively observed the field demonstration of this system, after which the new drone named "Stargate" was delivered to a Ukrainian combat brigade for testing in a frontline combat environment.

A spokesperson for the Ukrainian "Skyfall" drone company, which developed the drone, stated that this new type of drone was developed at the request of the commander of the Ukrainian 475th Independent Assault Brigade over the past year.

According to reports, this drone for transporting casualties is designed to penetrate into so-called "death zones," which are the most dangerous frontline areas on the battlefield that are "constantly facing threats from drones and artillery." The drone has a one-way range of 15 kilometers, allowing it to reach the locations of casualties in these high-risk areas without exposing rescue teams to danger.

The "Stargate" drone has a maximum payload of 150 kilograms, sufficient to carry a wounded soldier dressed in full combat gear. The drone is equipped with an evacuation chamber, which is designed around a medical stretcher. The "Skyfall" company believes this new type of drone has the potential to bring about disruptive changes. A commander from the 475th Independent Assault Brigade confirmed, "It can fly 10 kilometers in just a few minutes, which will bring a huge change to the front lines."

The speed of this drone is not particularly fast, at least in its current version, with a maximum speed of 105 kilometers per hour. Additionally, one of the key features emphasized by the developers is that "it can complete takeoff preparations in about 10 minutes."

The drone relies on the "Starlink" system and the proprietary communication system developed by the "Skyfall" company, and is equipped with AI-assisted navigation. This navigation system is designed for environments where global satellite positioning signals are absent, replaced, or interfered with. During the demonstration, multiple first-person view (FPV) drones simulated attacks on the "Stargate" drone and implemented strong active electronic interference. This casualty evacuation drone released an interception net, successfully forcing an approaching FPV drone to deviate from its flight path.

The "Skyfall" company stated that even if communication is completely interrupted, the "Stargate" drone can autonomously return to a safe area. The drone is equipped with a thermal imaging camera, capable of performing nighttime missions, and can fly in rainy or snowy weather. However, the Associated Press reporter noted that the company has not yet released relevant data to prove the drone's reliability in surviving damage in a combat environment. (Translated by Wang Meng)