Saab secures Australian Defence order for deployable health infrastructure

The first five years of the contract will see Saab Australia enhance the ADF’s clinical healthcare response capability by delivering more than 500 deployable health modules.

The modules will provide functions enabling clinical treatment and care up to hospitalisation, and incorporate critical support infrastructure such as shelters, internal power reticulation and waste management.

Saab has partnered with Aspen Medical, Philips Healthcare Australia & NZ, Broadspectrum and Marshall Land Systems to deliver more than 550 deployable medical modules – the order worth $337 million provides support for the years 2020-2027, including five years of support.

Andy Keough, managing director at Saab Australia, welcomed the signing of the contract, saying, “Saab is a strategic and long-term partner for Australian Defence, and as a result of this contract, we will relocate our global deployable health centre of excellence from Sweden to Australia.”

Saab will deliver health modules that include a surgical theatre, mobile computed tomography (CT) scanner, X-ray and ultrasound equipment along with trauma, intensive care and ward units and can be ready for national or international deployment within 24 hours. 

Defence Minister Linda Reynolds said the Morrison government is committed to ensuring Australian soldiers have the equipment and facilities required to provide best-practice clinical healthcare in operational environments.

“The project will deliver the most comprehensive deployable health transformation in the ADF’s history and will align the ADF deployable health capabilities with cutting-edge international military health capabilities,” Minister Reynolds explained. 

VIEW ALL

The program will ultimately see a purpose-built warehouse located in south-east Queensland to meet the storage, training and maintenance requirements.

Minister Reynolds added, “The performance-based support contract with Saab Australia will increase efficiency, reduce overheads and, most importantly, provide the ADF with flexibility to refresh health technology to meet evolving operational requirements, including domestic and regional humanitarian deployments.”

Operations in recent history have demonstrated how critical having the right health capability in theatre is for the wellbeing of the men and women in Defence.

Having the right equipment within the joint trauma system can improve the care given during those initial 10 minutes to two hours, dramatically improving the survivability of critical trauma events.

Saab serves the global market with world-leading products, services and solutions within military defence and civil security. Saab has operations and employees on all continents around the world.

Defence Industry Minister Melissa Price welcomed the opportunity created for Australian businesses, with around $240 million of the contract value to be spent in Australia.

“Saab Australia will also grow its presence in Australia by relocating its global Deployable Health System Design and Development Centre from Europe to Australia. This presents new opportunities for Australian businesses to benefit from international technology transfer and improve our access to global marketplaces,” Minister Price said. 

Through innovative, collaborative and pragmatic thinking, Saab develops, adopts and improves new technology to meet customers’ changing needs.

Saab, in partnership with Philips Electronics, Aspen Medical, Marshall Land Systems and Broadspectrum, has developed a world-leading capability within Australia to meet local and international deployable health requirements for humanitarian, disaster relief and military requirements throughout the region.

Keogh said, “The program will ensure Australia’s Defence personnel have the equipment and facilities required to provide world-class healthcare in humanitarian, disaster relief and military operations.”

Together Saab and its partners have successfully delivered deployable health programs in the US, UK, Sweden, Africa and the Middle East. This experience and expertise has been transferred to Australia, which will ensure the Australian Defence Force is provided with the best deployable healthcare capability available anywhere in the world.

“Australia’s recent experience with unprecedented bushfires and the COVID-19 pandemic highlight the need for critical medical infrastructure and services that can be rapidly deployed nationally or internationally in response to emerging health and environmental emergencies,” Keogh added. 

The Saab-led team’s designs ensure maximum local industry involvement, including the use of local manufacturing, delivery and support.

Operational deployments are supported via the existing global footprints of the four team members, the long-term supply chain partners allows Saab and its partners to meet contracted lead time requirements, optimise the required capability outcomes and support operations where they are needed.

Keogh said, “As part of this landmark partnership with the Australian Defence Force, Saab will relocate its global Deployable Health Care Centre of Excellence from Europe to Australia.”

Headquartered in Adelaide, Saab Australia is one of the nation’s leading defence and security organisations.

Employing over 560 Australians, Saab has provided more than three decades of support to the Australian Defence Force. It has also delivered technology solutions for the civil security and aviation markets, with major installations in prisons and airports around the nation.

The new Defence Health Capability Support Centre site is under evaluation and will be announced by the end of 2020.