Engineering the Army's Next Generation Medical Vehicle (MV) for Rapid Responses

Abstract

Future Combat Systems (FCS) has developed the next generation Medical Vehicle (MV) that fills a capability gap desperately needed by the Current Force. The ongoing conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven that the Army is facing an adaptive and resilient enemy. The enemy has exposed and exploited vulnerabilities in U.S. and coalition forces' equipment, particularly manned ground vehicles (MGVs). Depending on the situation, Iraq theater policies sometimes limit or even prohibit nonarmored vehicles from operating outside of FOBs because of inadequate survivability against IEDs and anti-tank mines. These limitations and/or prohibitions directly impact combat medics and their ability to provide ground medical evacuation on the battlefield with currently fielded U.S. Army MVs: the M113 Tracked Ambulance and M996/M997 Field Litter Ambulance. Medics supporting combat operations must resort to using nonstandard vehicles with the appropriate level of armor protection needed to operate outside of FOBs. The FCS MV has a Soldier-centric design that incorporates input and continual feedback from the user. This involvement early in the systems engineering process optimizes the MV's capabilities and design, and ensures it meets critical functionality and survivability requirements. The FCS MV has two separate variants: MV-Evacuation (MV-E) and MV-Treatment (MV-T). MV-E has the capability to evacuate up to four litter patients, six ambulatory patients, or a combination of three litter and three ambulatory patients. The MV-T will replace the current Battalion Aid Station and provide Advanced Trauma Life Support anywhere on the battlefield. The article describes the features of the two MV variants and discusses their Soldier-centric design, which is based on feedback from Current Force medics and medical providers. The article also describes the Reconfigured Litter Lift Handling System (LLHS) and the Rapid Automated Medical Processing Systems (RAMPS).

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Document Details

Document Type
Technical Report
Publication Date
Jun 01, 2008
Accession Number
ADA491051

Entities

People

  • James E. Mentel
  • Nicholas Song

Tags

Communities of Interest

  • Biomedical

DTIC Thesaurus Topics

  • Air Force
  • Combat Support Hospitals
  • Combat Vehicles
  • Demographic Cohorts
  • Engineering
  • Ground Vehicles
  • Health Care
  • Health Services
  • Improvised Explosive Devices
  • Iraqi-War
  • Medical Evacuation
  • Medical Personnel
  • Personnel Management
  • Systems Engineering
  • Therapy
  • Vehicles
  • Warfare

Readers

  • Maritime Combat Support and Expeditionary Logistics.
  • Trauma or Military Medicine
  • Unmanned Aerial System (UAS) Autonomous Capabilities and Mission Reconnaissance.