"Ukrainian Armor" hands over new "Novator" armoured vehicle to National Guard for battlefield rescues
Ukrainian Armor has unveiled the Novator 2S armoured medical evacuation vehicle, designed specifically to evacuate wounded soldiers from the battlefield.
Censor.NET reports this, citing a TSN report.
More about the armoured vehicle
The new armoured vehicle can transport two severely wounded soldiers in a supine position or up to four people when its medical beds are reconfigured. According to a combat medic from a National Guard unmanned systems unit, evacuations from the "kill zone" must be carried out under constant enemy FPV drone attacks.
The armoured vehicle has been adapted to the conditions of drone warfare:
- Its design can withstand regimental artillery fire and direct FPV drone strikes (thanks to special armour plating and anti-drone nets).
- The wheels are fitted with Run-Flat systems, allowing it to continue moving at speeds of up to 40 km/h even if the tyres are completely damaged.
- The Novator 2S has a specially designed armoured capsule tailored for casualty evacuation. Compared with the base Novator 2, the medical version features a different interior layout, wider rear doors and equipment for medics to work.
"I was driving to an evacuation when an FPV drone hit the vehicle’s rear door. I suffered only barotrauma that saved my life. Even with the damage, we got there, picked up the wounded person and returned," combat medic Nikita said.
Ground robots (UGVs) or armoured vehicles?
There has recently been a debate in military circles over replacing crewed armoured vehicles with unmanned ground vehicles (UGVs) in order not to put combat medics at risk.
However, specialists and the Medical Forces caution against excessive optimism regarding robots:
- UGVs move slowly and are vulnerable to repeated UAV attacks. In many cases, evacuating a critically wounded soldier through the "kill zone" on a UGV means losing time and may lead to their death.
- Modern robotic systems are effective for delivering ammunition and supplies or recovering the bodies of fallen soldiers, but not for urgently saving living casualties.
- Medical Forces statistics: UGV-assisted evacuations account for only around 1% of the overall system.
"Armoured transport remains the primary means of frontline evacuation because it withstands both FPV strikes and mine detonations, and helps save the lives of personnel and patients. Robots and armour must operate as a system: where armoured vehicles cannot reach, a UGV retrieves the wounded person to a transfer point for an armoured medevac," the Medical Forces noted.
