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A Ukrainian brigade said it used FPV drones to deliver the escape bike to trapped soldiers.
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Its chief of staff said this had made three attempts and had a success with heavy-duty drone shooting.
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This is one of the first recorded instances of FPV drones used in such logistics in war zones.
A Ukrainian brigade said it used a first-person perspective drone to deliver electronic riding to soldiers around it, marking a rare instance in which such equipment was used to airlift vehicles in combat.
In a video released on Wednesday, the Ukrainian National Guard’s “Rubizh” 4th Brigade said it reduced the E-cycle of about 88 pounds so soldiers could escape Russian-controlled territory.
Although the brigade did not say in the video when the trip occurred, it said soldiers were trapped in a shelter near the Donetsk town of Sivsk, where fighting was still underway.
“The enemy is in the front, behind and on both sides. Completely surrounded,” said Mykola Hrytsenko, junior lieutenant who serves as chief of staff of the brigade in the video.
Hrytsenko said the brigade’s soldier identified by Call Sign Tankist is the only survivor of four Ukrainian soldiers in the region.
“The direction of Siversk is known for its very difficult logistics. There is almost nothing. The guys have to walk six to seven kilometers to get to a position,” he said.
Hrytsenko said his team had an evacuation plan involving heavy cargo drones, such as Baba Yaga or heavy shooting, bringing bikes with electric motors to the position of tired soldiers.
Such drones are commonly used as bombers in Ukraine and are designed to provide a payload of about 40 to 50 pounds, although they can also be used to transport cargo.
Hrytsenko said carrying nearly 90 pounds of electronic bikes will push the drone to its limit and reduce its range to about 2 kilometers.
The brigade said that this had been made three attempts
Hrytsenko said his team initially lost two drones that attempted to deliver electronic rides to soldiers. He added that the first one was shot down by a bicycle, and the second one crashed because its electric motor was exhausted.
However, the “Rubizh” brigade published a clip of the third drone through the winch system, and the soldiers seemed to receive the bike. Business insiders cannot independently verify the authenticity of the brigade.
Hrytsenko said the bike’s parts were removed and brought to a location near the front line. Afterwards, he added that the vehicles were put together and flew towards the soldiers.
Hrytsenko said of the moment the bike arrived: “Everyone at the headquarters was yelling and crying.”
The brigade also showed footage of a soldier riding a bicycle surveillance drone.
Hrytsenko said that despite the soldier hit a mine later, he was able to walk hundreds of meters to a friendly location nearby, with the drone pilot flying on another electronic ride so that he could completely exit the combat zone.
“This operation cost us two times the E-bike, about 100,000, and two lost HeavyShot drones, $15,000 each,” Hrytsenko said.
The brigade said the soldier was evacuated safely and showed an interview with someone who said he was a tankist. BI cannot independently verify his identity.
Hrytsenko added that e-bikes are funded through donations from volunteers, a common situation in Ukraine where units must provide crowdfunding for drones and weapons.
“If you see a weird fundraising event, you can be surprised by an electric bike or a unicycle. Maybe it will save lives,” he said.
During the war, first-person view or FPV drones have been used for many non-combat functions, such as dropping small items on the battlefield, or lowering soldiers through speakers.
However, this marks the first time such a drone has been used to deliver one of the assets as big as a vehicle during continuous combat. Given that the size of the payload may make drones more easily detectable when limiting their range, it is unclear whether such a strategy will become more common.
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