Southern Naval Command Designs Air Evacuation Pod For COVID-19 Emergencies

13 April, 2020

The indigenously-designed pod costs one per cent the price of an imported equivalent. The Southern Naval Command’s new Air Evacuation Pod (AEP) | Defence PRO Kochi

An air evacuation pod (AEP) was indigenously designed by Naval Aircraft Yard, Kochi, under the Southern Naval Command (SNC). The AEP will be used for safe air evacuation of COVID-19 patients from remote areas like islands, and ships in a fully sealed transfer capsule, eliminating the risk of infection for pilots and evacuation teams.

This will also do away with the need to sanitise an aircraft post-evacuation.

The Southern Naval Command’s indigenously-designed Air Evacuation Pod (AEP), which costs a fraction of an imported equivalent. Video shared by @DefencePROkochi #IndianNavy #MakeInIndia

The evacuation pod, which was designed under the guidance of principal medical officer of the Naval air station in  Kochi, INS Garuda, in consultation with specialists from the Naval hospital INHS Sanjivani and HQSNC, is made of aluminium, nitrile rubber and perspex.

The highlight of the pod is that it weighs just 32 kg, and has a manufacturing cost of  Rs 50,000—about one per cent of the price of an imported equivalent item (Rs 59 lakhs), according to a press release.

Trials of patients inside AEP were undertaken on board the Advanced Light Helicopter (ALH) and Dornier aircraft of Indian Navy at SNC and were successfull completed on April 8. AEPs are planned for distribution across southern, western, eastern and Andaman and Nicobar Naval commands.

The successful induction y of the AEP will increase the Indian Navy’s abilities to fight to contain the pandemic, stated the press release.

Courtesy: The Week.in