The German Air Force's Airbus A321LR, modified by Lufthansa Technik in the past years not only for troop transport missions but also for the strategic airlift of patients, recently completed its first training mission in the so-called MedEvac (Medical Evacuation) role. During the “Resilient Care” exercise, conducted jointly with NATO partners Sweden, Norway, and the Netherlands, one of the two aircraft served for the first time as the centerpiece of realistic training in the evacuation of people from a fictitious conflict zone.

The aim of the multinational exercise, which also involved civilian authorities, was to train the handling and treatment of a high volume of patients on NATO's northern flank in the context of national and alliance defense. Procedures ranging from first aid and further medical treatment to patient transfer into other countries were practiced in a realistic manner. For the German Air Force, this marked the first extensive participation in this exercise within its Aeromedical Evacuation field of expertise.

Lufthansa Technik had extensively modified the two aircraft with the tactical markings 15+10 and 15+11 for this very role. As a result, they are available to the German Armed Forces in a total of four different configurations: one for troop and delegation transport and three for medical evacuations. The latter enable the simultaneous transport of up to six intensive care patients and up to twelve patients with minor or moderate illnesses/injuries. A mixed configuration of intensive care beds and troop transport capabilities can be set up as well.

“The ability to conduct medical evacuations by air is of great strategic importance, especially in these challenging times of geopolitical uncertainty,” explained Michael von Puttkamer, Vice President Special Aircraft Services at Lufthansa Technik. “This makes me all the more proud that we have once again been able to provide the German Armed Forces with a state-of-the-art, enormously versatile and long-range tool for this important role. Our extensive expertise in aeromedical solutions and, on top of that, in most complex aircraft modifications has once again been impressively combined here, for which I would like to express my appreciation to everyone involved.”

The linchpin for intensive care transport in the A321LR is the so-called Patient Transport Unit New Generation (PTU NG) developed by Lufthansa Technik, which not only meets all requirements for modern medical equipment, relevant medical standards and flight safety requirements, but also NATO specifications. Lufthansa Technik's nearly 30 years of experience in military and civilian use of the PTU, as well as its intensive certification tests, guarantee the German Armed Forces a robust and reliable product that is ready for use at any time when needed.

The cabin of both aircraft, developed in Hamburg in close collaboration with military medical personnel and physicians, is also modular and highly flexible in design, for example with foldable cabin monuments that can enlarge the entrance area. On the one hand, this enables the German Armed Forces to bring lying-down patients on and off board as seamless and gently as possible without having to reposition them to another bed. On the other hand, even the most extensive medical equipment can be installed quickly and easily in the cabin. In addition, up to 72,000 liters of oxygen can be carried safely and readily accessible during flight for life-saving patient care.