A secret location in Ukraine: Six propellers whir to life, lifting a drone above a field.
asserted
propellers → whir → field
A weighted stretcher secured to its frame simulates a wounded soldier in body armour.
asserted
stretcher → secure → armour
Far from the front line, the demonstration offers a glimpse of a far more dangerous mission: flying into a battlefield where enemy drones and artillery can leave wounded troops stranded for weeks or months, then carrying them to safety without an evacuation crew.
asserted
drones → offer → crew
Some of the more harrowing footage to emerge from this war has been drone tracking and striking fallen soldiers with nowhere to flee.
asserted
drone → emerge → soldiers
AP was granted exclusive access to a field demonstration of the drone.
asserted
AP → grant → drone
This week, StarGate was handed over to a combat brigade for evaluation under front-line conditions.
asserted
StarGate → hand → conditions
The aerial medical evacuation drone was developed over the past year by Ukrainian defence technology company SkyFall.
asserted
drone → develop → SkyFall
If it proves reliable in combat, it could transform battlefield evacuations, reaching soldiers in places that ground vehicles cannot access and potentially saving those so severely wounded that hours of waiting could cost them their lives.
uncertain
hours → prove → lives
“The idea came directly from the front line, from the trenches,” said SkyFall’s spokesperson, who asked not to be named because of the security risks facing Ukrainian military technology personnel.
asserted
who → come → personnel
He spoke wearing a balaclava and AP was not permitted to disclose the testing location.
asserted
AP → speak → location
In some sectors, the so-called kill zone – the area under constant threat from drones and artillery – stretches 10 to 15 kilometres or further.
asserted
zone → call → kilometres
StarGate has a one-way range of 15 kilometres, potentially allowing it to reach critically wounded soldiers trapped deep inside the kill zone.
asserted
it → have → zone
A request from a military commander
The idea grew out of a military request, the spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → grow → request
Last year, “Flint”, commander of the 475th Separate Assault Regiment known as Code 9.2, approached SkyFall’s founder about developing a safer way to evacuate wounded soldiers from hard-to-reach positions.
asserted
Flint → know → positions
For troops in Code 9.2, reaching a front-line position to retrieve the wounded can mean travelling on foot through areas where vehicles are vulnerable to drones.
asserted
vehicles → reach → drones
Unmanned ground vehicles have taken on a growing role in evacuating casualties and delivering supplies, but they struggle through mud, craters and shattered roads.
asserted
they → take → mud
Rivers, mines and drones can stop them altogether.
asserted
Rivers → stop → them
Ground robots typically take two to three hours to reach a position, depending on distance, road conditions and the threat from above, said “KVN”, a commander with Code 9.2.
asserted
KVN → take → Code
“Covering 10 kilometres in minutes would be a drastic change on the front line,” he said.
asserted
he → cover → line
Evacuations continue regularly in his unit’s area, he said, but it is not always possible to retrieve a wounded soldier on the same day.
asserted
it → continue → day
Both Flint and KVN were identified only by their call signs in line with Ukrainian military protocol.
asserted
Flint → identify → protocol
SkyFall emerged after Russia’s full-scale invasion in 2022, and has grown into a Ukrainian drone manufacturer.
asserted
SkyFall → emerge → manufacturer
Its Vampire heavy-lift drone, known to Russian forces as “Baba Yaga”, is used by Ukrainian troops for battlefield missions.
asserted
drone → know → missions
The company also makes Shrike, a first-person-view drone, and has developed the P1-SUN aerial interceptor.
asserted
company → make → interceptor
Named after the science-fiction franchise in which portals connect distant worlds, StarGate can carry a payload of up to 150 kilograms, according to the company – enough for a wounded soldier wearing body armour and carrying combat equipment.
uncertain
StarGate → name → equipment
Its medical evacuation cabin is built around a stretcher.
asserted
cabin → build → stretcher
The drone cruises at 65km/h and can reach speeds of up to 105km/h.
asserted
drone → cruise → km/h
SkyFall says it can be prepared for flight in about 10 minutes.
asserted
it → say → minutes
Duelling drone tests
At the test field, StarGate lifts off as first-person-view drones buzz towards it, simulating the aerial threats that dominate Ukraine’s front line.
asserted
that → duel → line
Electronic jamming is activated.
asserted
jamming → activate → ?
As one attacking drone closes in, a net shoots out, ensnaring it and sending it off course.
asserted
net → attack → course
The encounter resembles a futuristic duel fought by machines.
asserted
encounter → resemble → machines
But carrying a wounded soldier raises the stakes.
asserted
carrying → carry → stakes
One of SkyFall’s biggest challenges was ensuring the drone could navigate when electronic warfare disrupts communications or interferes with GPS signals.
uncertain
warfare → ensure → signals
StarGate uses two communication channels – Starlink and the company’s proprietary L-Link system – alongside an artificial intelligence-based system to help it maintain control when satellite navigation is unavailable.
asserted
navigation → use → control
The drone is operated manually, but has several AI functions that allow it to operate in GPS-denied environments or when signals are spoofed or frequencies are jammed, the spokesperson said.
asserted
spokesperson → operate → environments
If communication is lost entirely, SkyFall says, the drone can plot a route back to a safe area.
asserted
drone → lose → area
It is designed to operate in rain and snow, with thermal-imaging cameras for nighttime missions.
asserted
It → design → missions
SkyFall also says it has demonstrated the drone’s ability to continue flying after losing one of its arms.
asserted
it → say → arms
The company has not provided data showing how reliably it can withstand damage under combat conditions.
asserted
it → provide → conditions
…and 10 more, not listed.
The Aporia
