15 June

The UK Royal Air Force (RAF) has completed its Covid-19 support to the Scottish Ambulance Service at Kinloss Barracks. The RAF Puma Task Force was stood up approximately three months ago following an urgent request by the Scottish Ambulance Service for interim ability to air-lift infectious patients in remote highland and island communities of Scotland. The task force, comprised of three Puma helicopters, have headed back to their Oxfordshire base. The RAF’s Covid support has helped the Scottish Ambulance Service build its own ability to move patients by air.

The US Air Force Agile Combat Support Directorate’s (ACSD) Aeromedical Test Lab is testing medical equipment in the Negatively Pressurized Conex (NPC) and NPC Lite prototypes. The isolation containers have been developed for safe transport individuals with the Covid-19 virus and other highly infectious diseases. The NPCs will help prevent the aircrew and medical professionals onboard from being exposed to the infection. The NPC and NPC Lite prototypes can be fit inside C-17s and C-5s, and C-130s, respectively. The medical equipment includes a ventilator, blood pressure monitor, defibrillator, blood analysis machine and other items critical to patients.

The Indian Ministry of Defence (MoD) has issued an order that will provide relief to the domestic defence industry. The order grants four months of extension to all existing capital acquisition deliveries of domestic manufactures whose production schedules were affected by Covid-19 situation. The MoD said the Force Majeure shall be applicable for a period from 25 March to 24 July 2020. Also, no separate contract specific amendments will be made to effect this order. In the case of foreign vendors, the ministry may consider cases based on the current situation in their respective countries.