A Ukrainian ground drone MAUL, equipped with an armored capsule, was successfully used to rescue a wounded soldier who had been trapped in a grey zone following an armed confrontation.
The operation was conducted by the First Separate Medical Battalion in coordination with the 53rd Separate Mechanized Brigade.
The soldier had been hit during a firefight and remained virtually behind enemy lines, making the evacuation extremely complex. Given the high risk to conventional rescue teams, commanders decided to use ground drones to attempt to extract the soldier from the area.
The brigade made eight unsuccessful evacuation attempts, including the loss of two drones in the process. Nevertheless, the operation was not halted. On the 11th attempt, the MAUL reached the wounded soldier, secured him in the armored capsule, and transported him to a safe area where he received medical attention.
The total mission distance was 64 kilometers and took about six hours to complete. The MAUL was developed in response to a request from the Ukrainian medical battalion itself, which sought a mobile and resilient solution for evacuating the wounded in combat environments. It is based on a quad bike with a combustion engine and designed for high durability.
Source: Militarnyi | Photo: X @GrandpaRoy2 | This content was created with the help of AI and reviewed by the editorial team
A interesting report on the Ukrainian “Maul” casualty evacuation UGV and its armored capsule.
The big advantage “Maul” has over battery-powered UGVs is that it is built on an ATV frame.
The powerful gasoline engine gives speeds up to 70 km/hr for rapid evacuation of wounded.
1/ https://t.co/k3AhTm25Oh pic.twitter.com/sqbQjiaTvA— Roy🇨🇦 (@GrandpaRoy2) January 13, 2026
