Rheinmetall to supply Ukraine with eight Forward Surgical Team stations

The Ukrainian Ministry of Defence has commissioned Rheinmetall to deliver eight additional Forward Surgical Team stations for the Armed Forces of Ukraine.

The company announced this on its official website.

The contract provides for the manufacture and supply of eight Forward Surgical Team stations (FST) from Rheinmetall to the Ministry of Defense of Ukraine.

The order is part of the strengthening initiative (“Ertüchtigungsinitiative”) of the Federal Government of Germany. The delivery is expected to begin in 2024 and to be completed by the end 2026.

The order comprises eight turnkey-ready systems, equipped with highly modern medical technology, among them an x-ray-container, an operating theater and a unit for intensive care on the standard of a modern hospital.

For transporting each rescue unit, Rheinmetall also delivers a mobile component consisting of three HGVs from Rheinmetall MAN Military Vehicles (RMMW) including the trailers. The order is valued in a medium double-digit million Euro range.

In addition to the delivery of FST rescue units, it is also envisaged to give appropriate Ukrainian personnel a one week’s training in Germany.

Rheinmetall received a preliminary order for the supply of two Forward Surgical Team stations for Ukraine in June 2023.

The contract was worth €8 million. The first system was to be delivered to the Ukrainian Armed Forces in late 2023, and the second – at the beginning of 2024.

Forward Surgical Team (FST)

FSTs are intended for damage control surgery, or DCS. They enable lifesaving procedures to be carried out very quickly on badly wounded soldiers close to the frontline of the battlefield. Patients are stabilized and prepared for being transported to other medical units in the rear for further treatment in field hospitals or stationary facilities.

Highly mobile, Forward Surgical Teams are swiftly ready to operate due to the short set-up times – and to jump at short notice in response to shifting front lines.

A sheltered FST system comprises three sets of vehicles, each consisting of a truck, a trailer and a total of six containers, which remain truck- and trailer-mounted even during operation.