Airbus has delivered the first of thirteen
protected-wounded transport containers (GVTC) to the German Armed
Forces (Bundeswehr).
The containers will be used to transport the sick,
injured and wounded to hospitals or field hospitals.
In the GVTC, two paramedics can treat up to eight
patients and, for example, monitor their vital signs and oxygen
saturation, perform a defibrillator operation or have patients
ventilated via the integrated oxygen-generation system.
The
container also protects its occupants and the equipment on board
from chemical warfare agents, shelling and heavy explosions.
A
power generation unit enables self-sufficient operation for hours,
while the high-performance air-conditioning system allows the GVTC
to be used in extreme climatic conditions.
The first GVTC, delivered on 20 April, will be
used as a so-called ‘proof-of-concept’ vehicle which means that
the Bundeswehr will put the container through its paces and train
and educate its medical personnel on it, after which, the GVTC
will go into series production.
The 12-series GVTCs are then
scheduled to be handed over to the Bundeswehr from 2024 to 2026.
“Our protected-wounded transport containers
improve the Bundeswehr’s rescue chain and ability to recover,
transport and treat the wounded in crisis areas,” said Harald
Mannheim, managing director of Airbus Defence and Space GmbH. “In
this respect, the GVTC is further proof of how we and our
state-of-the-art technologies help all those who help others.”
The GVTC, which Airbus Defence and Space developed
with partner companies Drehtainer GmbH and Binz Automotive, is
based on the international . It is
around 6 metres long and can be easily mounted on existing
Bundeswehr trucks via an integrated hook roll-off system. Cranes
or other special equipment are not required.
