IDET 2025: 24/7 Life-Saving Within the Golden Hour.

At IDET 2025, Saab is exhibiting its Deployable Healthcare (DHC) solutions, with a full Role 2F setup presented at its outdoor stand. This configuration includes resuscitation, surgical, and ward capabilities, and it is designed to manage six patients for up to 72 hours. Saab’s DHC systems are modular, highly deployable, and interoperable with both Nordic and NATO forces. They aim to provide complete, flexible, and cost-effective medical care solutions that can be adapted to different operational contexts. The modules can be transported and configured quickly and are suited for diverse applications. The display at IDET 2025 is part of a broader presentation of field medical capabilities intended for multinational operations requiring standardized deployment formats.
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Saab’s Deployable Healthcare solutions enable medical teams to set up medical facilities within minutes to meet NATO’s 10-1-2 timeline for life-saving battlefield care (Picture source: Saab)

In operational environments where multiple fronts and dispersed units are common, armed forces require field hospitals that are mobile, compact, and equipped with sufficient medical resources. These systems must be capable of deployment within minutes, light and small enough to be transported close to the front line, and resilient enough to be airdropped or relocated by helicopter if necessary. Field hospitals must carry sufficient medical supplies and, ideally, incorporate camouflage technologies or materials that offer ballistic resistance. The trend has shifted from procurement and independent management of tents and medical equipment by armed forces to fully integrated solutions. Johan Pettersson, Saab’s Deployable Healthcare expert at IDET 2025 in Brno, emphasizes the importance of designing holistic systems rather than individual products. He points out that modular systems must anticipate all possible requirements and adapt to rapid cycles of technological renewal, mirroring developments seen in other sectors like IT. Saab’s current offerings reflect this approach, providing end-to-end packages that include planning, construction, equipment provision, logistics, storage, and maintenance.

In contrast to civilian hospitals, where planning is often focused on bed capacity, military hospitals prioritize performance and efficiency in the treatment process. Rapid stabilization takes precedence over long-term care, necessitating short internal distances and streamlined workflows. Saab provides various modules, each with a defined function, that can be combined to build mobile hospitals tailored to operational needs. Each module can function autonomously but remains fully interoperable with other modules. This approach is particularly relevant in Europe, where cooperation between nations such as Germany, the Netherlands, France, and Norway often involves integrated operations. Saab aims for cross-national compatibility despite the absence of standardized NATO-wide medical facility specifications. The company continues to promote interoperability in DHC development and anticipates that organizations like the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) will increasingly support such efforts in future procurement standards.

Saab designed its Deployable Healthcare solutions to support mobile blood banks, enabling soldiers to donate blood on-site to assist their wounded comrades. (Picture source: Saab)

Time is considered a decisive factor in the effectiveness of battlefield medical treatment. NATO’s 10-1-2 timeline dictates that the first ten minutes after injury are crucial for immediate life-saving measures, such as controlling bleeding. These interventions should be possible at the point of injury, even by non-medical personnel. Within one hour (the golden hour), pre-hospital emergency care by trained professionals should begin, and by two hours, damage control surgery should be underway. Saab’s smallest deployable healthcare solution, the Forward Resuscitation Capacity (FRC), is designed to support this doctrine. It consists of three backpacks, each weighing 30 kilograms: one contains the tent, another the medical equipment, and the third includes medicines and bandages. These are arranged to be accessible in the correct order, enabling rapid deployment by medical personnel.

The system is suited for Role 1 hospitals, which are typically based in tents and carried with vehicles to provide care at the injury location. For more extensive care needs, Saab offers Role 2 and Role 3 medical facilities and has also developed Strategic Evacuation (STRATEVAC) systems to support patient transfers to Role 4 hospitals, generally located in home countries.

In current conflicts such as the war in Ukraine, the need for deployable medical systems capable of responding to multiple, shifting front lines is evident. This context highlights the importance of mobile hospitals that can be operational at different sites within 24 to 48 hours. In addition to medical equipment, these setups must include logistical support for pharmaceuticals, hygiene supplies, and blood products. Saab’s systems account for these factors and are designed to work with innovations such as walking blood banks, where soldiers donate blood on-site to support wounded personnel, contributing to effective care delivery in contested areas. The shelters and equipment can also be configured with camouflage and optional ballistic protection to ensure functionality and personnel safety during operations. These systems are intended to function independently and remain effective even in austere environments, reinforcing medical support capacity in forward areas.

Saab’s Deployable Healthcare solutions integrate lightweight surgical stations designed for immediate life-saving measures, such as controlling bleeding, within the golden hour window. (Picture source: Saab)

A large-scale example of DHC implementation can be found in Australia, where Saab is delivering one of the most extensive deployable medical infrastructure programs worldwide under project JP2060. This initiative includes 550 modules covering diverse medical and logistical functions such as pharmacy units, surgical theaters, intensive care units, radiology services including X-ray and CT scanners, hospital wards, psychiatric care, hygiene facilities, and infrastructure components like water supply and sanitation. Additional features include staff quarters and recreation areas. Saab’s role in the program extends to handling all logistics through partnerships with more than 300 companies in the Australian defense supply chain, including over 70 small and medium enterprises. The goal is to provide comprehensive medical solutions for the Australian Defence Force that function across a wide range of mission types and operational conditions.

These 550 modules enable the Australian military to deploy up to 30 medical facilities of varying size and capability, including Role 3 hospitals equipped for complex surgical and diagnostic procedures. The modules are maintained at the Deployable Health Capability Support Centre in Queensland, a purpose-built facility designed to ensure readiness. The proximity of this center to Royal Australian Air Force Base Amberley allows for rapid deployment. Saab’s personnel at the center are responsible for ensuring that all equipment is maintained, cleaned post-mission, repaired as needed, and upgraded or replaced when necessary. According to Amany Wahba, Sales Director for Medical Solutions at Saab, the Australian project employs ten to fifteen supply chain managers in addition to engineering staff. The outcome is a self-contained system supported by a local logistics and maintenance network, reducing the burden on military personnel and allowing forces to focus on their primary missions.

Saab’s DHC modules enable medical care within the first 60 minutes after injury, when prompt intervention is crucial to significantly improving survival outcomes. (Picture source: Saab)

The strategic role of deployable healthcare is expanding as operational environments become more complex. Troops expect medical services that match the standards of other military systems in terms of performance and technological integration. Saab’s DHC offerings are intended to meet this expectation by providing comprehensive, adaptable systems that cover all aspects of field healthcare. The company integrates system design, procurement, construction, logistics, and lifecycle management into a unified framework. Its modular, platform-independent solutions can be configured for Role 1, 2F, 2B, 2E, and 3 functions and are designed for transportation by road, rail, or air. These solutions aim to maintain the health and operational capacity of forces in all conditions. Saab's experience with customers including the Australian Defence Force, Swedish Armed Forces, Norwegian Armed Forces, and Latvian National Armed Forces supports the application of its systems in a variety of national and multinational defense contexts. The company continues to develop these capabilities through ongoing research, local partnerships, and adaptation to customer requirements in both defense and civil security sectors.