Air Mobility Battlelab's lightweight litter system initiative yields promising results

Published March 20, 2008
By Tech. Sgt. Scott T. Sturkol
U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center Public Affairs

FORT DIX, N.J. -- As initiatives go, this one for the U.S. Air Force Expeditionary Center's Air Mobility Battlelab may "litter"-ally save lives.

AMB set out to prove the feasibility of using a lightweight, man-portable litter system that can be hand-carried by aeromedical evacuation, or AE, teams, and used on Air Mobility Command cargo aircraft not equipped with an onboard litter system, said Master Sgt. Christopher Sidoli, AMB project officer for the initiative.

"This initiative solution resulted from a problem where AMC aircraft without organic litter systems had to rely on the Patient Support Pallet (or PSP) for aeromedical evacuation missions," Sergeant Sidoli said. "The PSP is a heavy, bulky litter system that is heavily reliant on cargo handling equipment for loading and unloading. Additionally, a PSP is not always co-located with AE crews, which results in additional missions to unite AE crew, PSP and patients. A man-portable litter system that's small and light enough to be stored at the AE team's location has the potential to speed up the evacuation of patients significantly."

AMB teamed with Lifeport, Inc. to demonstrate the concept using the company's Stacking Litter System, or SLS, which weighs less than 150 pounds and was originally designed to evacuate patients over short distances on helicopters. The initiative's initial approval date was April 2007, and the concept demonstration was completed in June 2007 on a KC-135 Stratotanker from the 108th Air Refueling Wing at McGuire Air Force Base, N.J.

"Our main objective with the demonstration was simple - determine the ease of transportability, assembly and installation of the stacking litter system into the plane," Sergeant Sidoli said. "We also demonstrated three other objectives with the SLS - compatibility with the NATO mesh litter, a litter backrest and the special medical emergency evacuation device."

Overall, Sergeant Sidoli said, the results from the June demonstration were extremely positive.

"The demonstration proved the SLS is highly transportable, and it required only two people to load on the aircraft without the aid of lifting equipment. Additionally, the demonstration team was able to easily install the system on the plane in less than 18 minutes," Sergeant Sidoli said.

Although the demonstration team encountered some compatibility issues resulting from the differences between long-range, fixed wing AE operations and the SLS's helicopter origins, Sergeant Sidoli indicated these issues could be overcome with minor modifications and that the concept of a "man-portable" litter system capable of being co-located with AE teams is feasible.

The AMB briefed the demonstration results to AMC headquarters in December 2007 and recommended transition of the lightweight litter concept for eventual fielding.

According to the Air Mobility Command Surgeon General Readiness Division, they are interested in fielding this type of capability. In reporting back to the AMB, the division noted that a portable litter system that can be hand-carried by AE crews will "contribute to a more robust and flexible aeromedical evacuation system."

"If a man-portable system makes it all the way to being used by AE teams in the field, it has the potential to save lives - that's the bottom line," Sergeant Sidoli said.

The Air Mobility Battlelab was established in 2001 to identify and demonstrate the utility of innovative concepts with potential to enhance Mobility Air Force capabilities. AMB will deactivate in September 2008 as part of an Air Force cost-savings initiative.