U.S. Army tests robotic casualty evacuation in Lithuania exercise

U.S. Army soldiers in Lithuania are training with an unmanned ground vehicle to evacuate casualties from the battlefield, as part of a live exercise that is simultaneously testing counter-drone systems, AI-enabled command networks, and robotic ground platforms across a month-long series of linked drills.

Soldiers assigned to 2d Squadron, 2d Cavalry Regiment, practiced medical evacuation using the UNEX unmanned ground vehicle during Project Flytrap at Pabradė Training Area, Lithuania, on May 4, 2026, according to an Army statement. The exercise, running from April 27 to May 31, integrates counter-unmanned systems, AI-enabled command and control, and live data networks alongside the robotic platforms, with the stated goal of helping soldiers move faster, decide faster, and fight more effectively across all domains. Project Flytrap is a counter-UAS exercise designed to integrate emerging technologies and inform future Army requirements and doctrine, and it runs as part of a series of linked exercises including Sword 26, Saber Strike, Immediate Response, and Swift Response.

The UNEX unmanned ground vehicle, built by ABRIS DG, which U.S. troops have been operating during the exercise. The UNEX is a fully electric, amphibious UGV designed in Ukraine for high-risk operations beyond conventional routes, carrying a payload capacity of up to 1,700 kilograms and capable of handling obstacles up to one meter high. Its modular architecture allows integration with additional systems and payloads depending on what a mission requires. Earlier U.S. Army testing of the UNEX covered a range of scenarios including remote FPV drone deployment and towing of Joint Light Tactical Vehicles, putting the platform through the kind of varied operational demands that reveal whether a system’s advertised versatility holds up outside a controlled demonstration environment.

That testing history fed directly into a competition result that has opened a significant door for ABRIS DG. The company’s UNEX was selected as one of five winners in the XTech Edge Strike Ground Competition held in Vilseck, Germany, from March 3 to 13, 2026, hosted by the 2nd Cavalry Regiment.

UNEX UGV during test in Germany. Photo by 2d Cavalry Regiment

According to ABRIS DG, the competition judges cited the UNEX’s high mobility, amphibious capability, payload capacity, and operability from a Ground Control Station at extended distances as the factors behind its selection. Winning that competition gives ABRIS DG, working through its U.S. partner Mountain Horse Solutions LLC, access to a 10-year contract on the Global Tactical Edge Acquisition Directorate marketplace, which means the UNEX has moved from a competition finalist into a procurement channel with a direct line to future U.S. Army contracting opportunities.

Robotic casualty evacuation addresses one of the most dangerous missions in ground combat: getting wounded soldiers off the battlefield under fire. A human-crewed medical evacuation vehicle or litter team approaching a casualty under observation by enemy drones is a target. An unmanned ground vehicle that can navigate to a wounded soldier, load the casualty, and return to a treatment point without exposing additional personnel to direct fire changes the risk calculus for evacuation in a drone-saturated environment in a fundamental way. The integration of that specific use case into Project Flytrap, alongside counter-UAS and AI command and control, reflects a coherent operational picture of what the Army expects future close combat to look like.