EADS Adds Thais as TransHospital Customers

20-Oct-2009 14:29 EDT  |  Related Stories: Asia - Other, Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, EADS, Europe - Other, Logistics Innovations, Medical

TransHospital, Afghanistan
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Shipping containers are ubiquitous in a globalized world, and many modes of transport on air, sea, and land are adapted to carry them easily. To portability, add protection: their rigid metal construction provides more shielding than tent fabric, and this can be augmented by digging the structure in slightly or putting up Hesco-type instafill walls nearby. A number of manufacturers have thrown in a 3rd advantage: modular flexibility, created by making it easy to connect containerized modules and deploy the exact combination you need.

Military and para-public medical facilities are natural fits with these advantages, and EADS’ innovative TransHospital leverages all of them. Now, the Thai government will become a customer, giving them a transportable field hospital for military or disaster-related use…

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Battle Boxes for the Bundeswehr (updated)

27-Feb-2007 09:28 EST  |  Related Stories: Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, EADS, Europe - Other, Logistics, Logistics Innovations, New Systems Tech, Other Equipment - Land, Power Projection, Testing & Evaluation

TransProtec Cutaway
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EADS, in cooperation with the company Krauss-Maffei Wegmann (KMW) of Munich, has developed a multifunctional container for protected personal transport that can accommodate up to 18 people including equipment. “TransProtec®” has undergone a series of blasting tests at Military Technical Centre WTD in Meppen to verify its ability to resist attacks with explosives, sniper fire, shrapnel, and mines. EADS also claims the units provide some resistance to NBC attacks. TransProtec can easily be transported on different makes of protected trucks, and a hook loading system makes it possible to load and unload the container quickly.

Containerized systems are an emerging military trend. Our own coverage includes other EADS products (vid. the TransHospital), American counterparts like MMIC, and even renewable energy power stations by SkyBuilt et. al. The best collection we’ve found re: containerized military systems in worldwide use, however, is an outside web piece called Think IN the Battle Box. It explores a number of different uses and scenarios for the containerized forces idea, from transportation, to rapid-setup dwellings/bases, to airmobile integration. It’s interspersed with notes from field use and reports of various countries using containerized systems, some highly subjective editorial commentary concerning a number of defense issues, and the systems’ potential as part of a CONOPS in Iraq that has similarities to the new take-and-hold approach. It alternates between hostility-inducing and thought-provoking, but has quite a few interesting ideas and information nuggets buried within.

In recent developments, the German Bundeswehr is now buying ambulance versions of TransProtec, even as EADS sets up an Arkansas facility to make these “deployable shelter systems” available in the USA for disaster relief in hurricane zones, military applications, et. al….

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$7.1M more for R&D Into Next-Generation Military Hospital Test Shelters

14-Aug-2006 06:41 EDT  |  Related Stories: Americas - USA, Contracts - Modifications, Medical, R&D - Contracted, Small Business

Deployed TransHospital
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Small business qualifier Mobile Medical International Corp. in Saint Johnsbury, VT has received a $7.1 million modification to a firm-fixed-price contract for research and development of the 21st century military hospital system production efficient test shelters. Work will be performed in Saint Johnsbury, VT and is expected to be completed by July 26, 2008. Contract funds will not expire at the end of the current fiscal year. This was a sole source contract initiated on Oct. 1, 2001 by the Army Medical Research Acquisition Activity, Frederick, MD (DAMD17-03-C-0002).

The Singaporeans, Germans et. al believe they already have a production efficient set of 21st century medical shelters/ hospital systems, based on ubiquitous ISO containers and offering easy expansion. Their TransHospital system has even been used in the USA in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina, as part of the international aid that arrived on scene. MMIC offers a somewhat similar system which also takes advantage of the ISO container’s inherent transportability, stability, and natural protection and load-carrying capacities. EADS’ TransHospital will also be evaluated for the Future Medical Shelter System requirement.

Singapore’s New Containerized Field Hospitals

12-May-2006 04:05 EDT  |  Related Stories: Asia - Other, Design Innovations, EADS, Expeditionary Warfare, Industry & Trends, Medical, New Systems Tech, Other Equipment - Land, Power Projection

Deployed TransHospital
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Back in July 2005, DID covered EADS’ TransHospitals, a modular system that could clip convenient ISO Standard 20×8x8 container modules together in order to assemble field medical facilities of any size. TransHospital is just one of EADS container-based offerings, and part of a slow global trend toward containerized systems.

Singapore was noted in the article as a TransHospital buyer, and their MINDEF recently held a formal unveiling of their newly-operational system. It includes interior pictures, along will other details regarding the new systems. As Captain Lim Poh Thiam put it, noting one of the prime advantages of container-based facilities:

“All our equipment are already packed and ready for use in these containers which means we can be deployed more quickly than in the past. So we are ready to go anytime!”

Love on the Rocks: CASA’s $600M Venezuelan Plane Sale In Heavy Turbulence

14-Feb-2006 07:32 EST  |  Related Stories: Alliances, Americas - Other, Americas - USA, Asia - China, Avionics, EADS, Engines - Aircraft, Issues - International, Legal, Lobbying, Other Corporation, Russia, Specialty Aircraft, Transport & Utility

CN-235MPA Persuader
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Back on January 19, 2005 , DID noted that US restrictions on resale of its technologies were blocking a EUR 500 million sale of 12 CASA aircraft to Venezuela – 10 C-295 light transport aircraft and 2 CN-235MPA Maritime Patrol Aircraft. Sources were telling media outlets that the deal was dead. But DID waited. Good thing, too, because later reports revealed a possibility that Spain would go ahead and substitute non-US technology, even though the added conversion expense would make the planes unprofitable to build. Politics and job-creation (job transfer, really) can create some odd contortions, so the idea wasn’t entirely surprising. Nevertheless, we saw some US market implications for EADS if the deal went forward – and in any really involved drama, there’s always another twist. This was starting to look like a real Latin American soap opera, so DID grabbed some popcorn. And waited.

Lo and behold, more twists have indeed followed. Including a side-story involving Brazil. Are we on, or are we off – and if the answer is “off,” who might step into the breach? Since it’s impossible to resist a rocky relationship like this one on Valentine’s Day, DID decided to update our readers on this ongoing saga….

• Done Too Soon: The Sale & The Roadblocks
• Star-Crossed Lovers: Will They? Won’t They?
• There’s Always A Morning After
• Song Sung Blue: Further DID Analysis/ Op-Ed
• Additional Readings
  
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Bundeswehr Orders $7.35M in Container-Based “TransHospitals”

14-Jul-2005 00:01 EDT  |  Related Stories: Bases & Infrastructure, Contracts - Awards, Design Innovations, EADS, Expeditionary Warfare, Logistics Innovations, Medical, Middle East - Other, Power Projection

Deployed TransHospital
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Germany’s Federal Office of Defence Technology and Procurement (BWB) recently awarded EADS Defence Electronics a contract to supply the German Armed Forces with three further “TransHospital” Light Rescue Centres. The contract is worth approx. EUR 6 million (USD $7.35 million). Two of the three Light Rescue Centers are due to be delivered to the German medical service this year.

The TransHospital is designed as a modular system, and the rescue station that makes qualified operations possible can be extended to a complete field hospital with all the functions of a stationary hospital by adding additional modules.

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