Journal of Emergency and Disaster Medicine
Unmanned systems in large-scale combat operations: a scoping review of their impact and integration in prolonged casualty care
Abstract Background Large-scale combat operations (LSCO) have disrupted prior battlefield healthcare models reliant on rapid evacuation and the “Golden Hour.” In contemporary conflicts, including Ukraine, Gaza, Sudan, and Iran, care is often delivered in highly contested environments with degraded infrastructure and persistent surveillance, where evacuation is frequently delayed or denied. This has necessitated a shift toward prolonged casualty care (PCC). Although unmanned systems (UxS) demonstrate utility in civi …