Ukrainian Heavy Shot drone delivers e-bike to wounded soldier, helps him escape

The “Force of Freedom” battalion of the “Rubizh” brigade of Ukrainian National Guard rescued a wounded soldier with the help of a heavy drone, dropping an electric bicycle to enable the injured serviceman to evacuate independently from the danger zone. A video of the rescue was published on the brigade’s YouTube channel.

The drones used in the mission were domestically produced Heavy Shots developed by Gurzuf Defence. These UAVs have been in service with special forces units since April 2022. They are equipped with a GPS navigation system resistant to electronic warfare and can return to base using the launch coordinates.

Unlike less powerful drones, such as the Vampire, the Heavy Shot is capable of destroying fortifications, equipment and dugouts in a single flight. It can carry between 10 and 40 kg of bomb load, including Soviet TM mines, Czech TMU, and 120 mm fragmentation munitions for strikes against enemy personnel. Depending on the configuration, the UAVs can carry up to eight 60–120 mm calibre mines or custom charges manufactured by sappers. The release mechanism may be either universal or automatic.

The drones are equipped with a high-quality 2K camera with 30x zoom and three-axis stabilisation. Their operational range is up to 20 km, with a flight duration of up to 40 minutes without a payload and 30 minutes when loaded.

In 2023, over 100 Heavy Shot attack drones were delivered to the front as part of the state “Army of Drones” programme. It is also worth noting that Gurzuf Defence has the production capacity to supply the defence forces with 600 unmanned aerial vehicles per month. In addition, the company’s portfolio includes specialised drones with greater payload capacity, such as octocopters and hexacopters.