Lufthansa Technik has handed over eight Patient Transport Units (PTU NG) for intensive care patients and 16 oxygen supply systems for medium-to-lightly injured patients to Airbus Defence and Space. The new PTUs are destined for the multinational Airbus A330 MRTT operated by the MMU (Multinational Multi Role Tanker Transport Unit) of the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA), which will also collaborate with the European Air Transport Command (EATC), and enable the transport of up to eight intensive care patients and 16 lying patients with oxygen supply systems. This makes medical evacuation missions (MedEvac) with the aircraft of the MMU fleet possible.
Shortly after the handover, training for doctors and medical staff will begin at the new units, which are to be completed by the end of November. The first installation of an A330 MRTT of the MMU is scheduled for December. This will create one of the largest and most powerful MedEvac aircraft. The national Airbus A310 MRTT fleet of the German Air Force has already been equipped with the PTU’s predecessor model for almost 20 years and is now being gradually replaced.
The Patient Transport Unit Next Generation complies with NATO standards and is also approved as a civilian medical device. With the units now delivered, the model is in use on four different military and civil aircraft types. Using seat track adapters, a PTU NG can be installed in almost any aircraft within minutes, allowing the same unit to be used in a fleet of different aircraft types. A unit consists of several modules that can be assembled very quickly without tools and, due to their size and weight, can be easily handled by two persons.
