SkyFall Launches StarGate Drone for Battlefield Medical Evacuations
SkyFall developed the StarGate aerial drone to evacuate wounded soldiers from high-risk kill zones using AI-based navigation and a 150-kilogram payload capacity.
Ukrainian defense technology company SkyFall has launched StarGate, the first aerial drone specifically designed to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield. Developed in response to a request from the commander of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment, the drone aims to retrieve casualties from kill zones where ground vehicles are highly vulnerable to artillery and enemy drones.
The StarGate drone can carry a payload of up to 150 kilograms, allowing it to transport a soldier in body armor on a medical stretcher over a one-way range of 15 kilometers. To ensure reliability in contested environments, the system utilizes AI-based navigation for GPS-denied areas and maintains communication through Starlink and a proprietary L-Link system.
A combat brigade began front-line evaluations of the system this week. KVN, a commander with the 475th Separate Assault Regiment, noted that the ability to cover 10 kilometers in minutes would be a drastic change on the front line, describing the drone as a completely new method of evacuation.
SkyFall estimates the cost of each system at $50,000. The company plans to scale production to 1,000 units per month by the end of 2026.
