August 6, 2007
The operationally-proven EADS TransHospital® mobile hospital system is being readied for field tests by the U.S. Army for its Future Medical Shelter System (FMSS) requirement.
This work is underway at the Russellville, Arkansas facility of EADS North America Integrated Shelter Systems, where three elements of the deployable TransHospital system are undergoing final preparations.
The Army conducted an initial assessment of TransHospital earlier this year, and the upcoming evaluation will consist of multi-week operational tests in realistic field conditions.
“We had excellent feedback from the Army’s first assessment, and we’re incorporating upgrades and improvements based on the service’s input,” explained Jan Krueder, EADS’ TransHospital Future Medical Shelter System project manager, and the head of EADS North America Integrated Shelter Systems facility at Russellville. “This allows us to build on our extensive experience with TransHospital’s use in NATO operations and for disaster relief.”
TransHospital is designed for rapid deployment and autonomous operation. With its modular design, it can be enlarged to the size and configuration of a Combat Support Hospital by adding purpose-equipped shelter units.
The system has demonstrated its capabilities in support of military deployments, including the German Army’s use in NATO coalition operations at Kosovo in Serbia and Kabul, Afghanistan. The Kosovo facility utilizes TransHospital modular shelters for a medical center with 260 beds, while the Kabul facility operates in a combat support hospital role.
TransHospital also has shown its value in U.S. and foreign disaster relief. A two-shelter TransHospital rescue station took part in Mississippi Gulf Coast recovery operations after Hurricanes Katrina and Rita in 2005, while another rescue station has been operating in Indonesia since early 2006, where it sent after the Indian Ocean tsunami.
The upcoming U.S. Army operational tests will evaluate the TransHospital’s Operating Room and Support Ward modules, along with a new unit called Tentainer®, which was developed by EADS specifically to meet U.S. military applications.
TransHospital’s Operating Room module is housed in an ISO-standard 8 X 8 X 20-ft. container, which is expanded upon set-up to accommodate two surgical teams. This fully pre-integrated module contains all necessary medical infrastructure for the operating room, including electrical power, medical gasses and climate control.
The Support Ward module also is based on an 8 X 8 X 20-ft. container, and serves multiple purposes. During transport, the Support Ward carries support equipment and systems, including up to two chiller units for climate control, plus an inflatable tent that is set up in the field as a patient ward unit. Once its material is moved into position, the Support Ward then serves as a clean passageway between the Operating Room module and the Patient Ward tent.
Both the Support Ward and Operating Room modules are designed to be carried on trucks, trains, ships and by cargo aircraft.
Also to be evaluated by the U.S. Army is a new, highly-deployable module called Tentainer. The pallet-sized Tentainer has fold-up rigid walls and a multi-cell inflatable roof, and is designed for uses such as a front-line first aid station, a medical care unit for special operations units, a battalion rescue facility and mobile command post. Its mission equipment is integrated into the module, enabling rapid set-up and autonomous operation.
The Tentainer’s compact size allows it to be carried by helicopter, air-dropped from a fixed-wing aircraft, or towed as a trailer.
