Army of the future could parachute hospitals to the battlefield

A lightweight hospital unit that can be parachuted out of planes to operate on the front lines has been developed by the Army for the first time.

As part of the military’s plan to become more agile in an increasingly contested world, members of 16 Air Assault Brigade, the Army’s airborne rapid reaction force, has developed a surgical unit that allows them to be completely self-sufficient in hostile environments.

Previously, if soldiers were injured while away from base, they would have to be transported to surgical facilities that were often an hour-and-a-half away.

Now, as Lieutenant Colonel Tom Konig, one of the surgeons on the team, told The Telegraph, treatment on the battlefield has been revolutionised as the unit has the ability to quickly establish a medical centre that can provide “NHS-standard” care in a hostile environment.

He said: “It’s the smallest surgical team in defence. It’s capable of being very light, agile and mobile and can be set up on land, sea or in the air.”

From oxygen cylinders and bergens containing medical supplies, to ventilators and collapsible stretchers, the entire Spear unit weighs in at just 250kg, can be transported onto the battlefield on the backs of troops and set up in 20-30 minutes.

Crucially, the equipment also contains 20 units of blood and 20 units of freeze-dried plasma, which when combined with water makes blood, meaning that casualties can receive blood transfusions on the front line.

Defence sources confirmed that the troops will jump out with the equipment, deploying in “the same way as all troops would”.

“It is very versatile and able to deploy with the force as they carry it with them,” they said.

Sergeant Natasha Balyckyi, who provides nursing on the team, said that one of the most impressive aspects of the set-up was that all of the kit used can be powered by solar or wind, as well as being “plugged into vehicles of opportunity, such as a cigarette lighter in a car”.

“The flexibility of electrical power is key to how the unit works,” she said.

Once the casualty has been treated, they are triaged and evacuated through the Army’s routine casualty evacuation chain. They are then either passed to a developed host nation or deployable Army hospital with intensive care unit and multiple surgical teams, or a basic field hospital with surgical capabilities.

Successful pilot scheme

The team has been operating as part of a 12-month pilot and has so far conducted missions in various European countries.

Lt Col Konig said that the pilot had so far proven successful, saying: “Previously we had similar surgical teams but they had a lot of kit. This is lighter, more refined kit that we can set up anywhere.”

He explained that being more “agile” in movement was better suited for “more extreme environments”.

Defence sources added that the capability, which is yet to pass its trial stage, is part of the military’s wargaming when looking at how it would operate in conflict.

“It’s about moving discreetly, being agile and getting to the point of action quickly,” they said.

In the Ministry of Defence’s Command Paper refresh, published earlier this week, it stressed the importance of “agility” in the face of heightened threats from adversaries. 

The document pledged to ensure the future Armed Forces are “more agile, more lethal and more integrated”.

Delivering ‘a credible warfighting force’

The paper stated that an additional £2.5 billion will be invested in stockpiles and munitions.

It also sets out a “get there first” strategy which would draw on deployed and high-readiness personnel to form a Global Response Force.

The proposed initiative came on the back of “learnings from the war in Ukraine and wider threats to security”.

It outlined a “plan to deliver a credible warfighting force” that aims to maintain Britain’s position as a “global heavyweight” now and in the future.

The Armed Forces will modernise and adapt to the changing global picture under the plans, with an emphasis on investment in science and technology.

The UK’s military might will consequently become “greater than the sum of our parts”, according to the report.

It followed the publication of the Integrated Review Refresh earlier this year, which identified Russia as the most acute threat to security and recognised China as a long-term challenge.