475th Regiment Pulls Wounded From Kill Zone With StarGate Drone

Ukraine’s 475th Separate Assault Regiment, known as CODE 9.2, rescued two injured soldiers from the front line over the past week using a StarGate drone. The aircraft was deployed when standard ground evacuation options proved impossible due to hostile territory and enemy drone threats.

The two men, 25-year-old Yevhen, alias Izium, and 24-year-old Artem, alias Kolobok, both suffered severe limb injuries while positioned in the grey zone. They were located approximately 5 km from the Russian border. The unit cited difficult terrain, water obstacles, and the constant threat of enemy first-person view drones as reasons ground teams could not reach them. Aerial evacuation was the only viable method to extract them.

The 475th Regiment spent one week coordinating the complex operations with SkyFall, the manufacturer of the StarGate drone. The missions required heavy fire support to suppress Russian positions, allowing the evacuation aircraft to move safely. The regiment worked with other Ukrainian defense units to create a corridor for the drone.

During one mission, the StarGate traveled nearly 30 km to reach the soldier’s position and flew the same distance back with the casualty on board. Russian forces actively deployed electronic warfare systems in the area to block satellite navigation signals. The drone’s AI-based navigation system allowed the aircraft to complete the flight despite the loss of GPS data.

The StarGate drone has a maximum range of 30 km and can carry a payload of up to 150 kg. For medical evacuations, it is fitted with a dedicated capsule containing a stretcher. The aircraft reaches a top speed of 105 km/h and is remotely operated. Its AI systems enable it to function without satellite navigation and in the presence of electronic warfare interference.

Oleksandr “Flint” Nastenko, commander of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment, said the experience gained from these operations will help the unit establish a dedicated medical aviation unit. The new unit will specialize in evacuating wounded soldiers from the battlefield by air. The regiment previously reported that SkyFall had handed the drone over for frontline testing after developing it for casualty evacuation.

A separate aerial evacuation was reported on 19 October, in which the military used a drone manufactured by Gurzuf Defence to recover a wounded soldier. This marked the first recorded use of that specific manufacturer’s aircraft for the purpose.