British troops wounded in Afghanistan are enduring lengthy delays before receiving hospital treatment because of a shortage of helicopters, senior army surgeons have claimed. Medics in Helmand province, where another soldier died yesterday, said a lack of British aircraft meant that bringing out wounded soldiers takes twice as long as when injured American soldiers were evacuated in Vietnam 40 years ago.
An experienced combat surgeon revealed that the lack of helicopters meant UK forces would find it "impossible" to transport their wounded if they did not have access to US Black Hawks. One said that up to 50% of all British "casevacs" - casualty evacuations - use American helicopters. The surgeon, who asked for anonymity, also revealed that the Royal Army Medical Corps and senior military figures had been asking for a dedicated fleet of medevac helicopters since 2007, but their pleas have been rejected by Whitehall.
100 Welsh Twitters
2 months ago


