and Marine combat areas, and over routes of sole interest to the USN, where the
facilities of the USAF could not provide the service. The remainder of the aeromedical
evacuation responsibility is given to the USAF. This responsibility includes providing
specialized medical attendants and equipment for in-flight medical care.
b. The Military Airlift Command (MAC) of the USAF provides for the aeromedical
EVAC of patients from treatment facilities within the combat zone (CS and EVAC
hospitals) to points outside the combat zone. Evacuation units of the medical
brigade/group move patients to be evacuated to small, compact and highly mobile
USAF mobile aeromedical staging facilities (MASF) located throughout the combat
zone. These MASF, limited by size and equipment, receive patients only when air
movement space is known to be available or assigned. They accept only patients who
have had sufficient medical treatment to make them stable enough for evacuation to a
larger, more definitive, treatment facility--normally a general hospital located in the
COMMZ.
c. The USAF is also responsible for aeromedical evacuation in airborne
operations. The assault aircraft, after air landing resupply items, provide for the
movement of patients from the objective area until ground link-up is attained. When
feasible, however, Army aircraft provide intra-airhead patient evacuation.
7-17. UNITED STATES AIR FORCE AEROMEDICAL EVACUATION SYSTEMS
The USAF is responsible for providing aeromedical evacuation of patients: (1)
from airheads or airborne objective areas which are supported by air landed logistic
USAF aircraft; (2) from the combat zone to the COMMZ and within the COMMZ in a TO;
(3) from TO to the CONUS or other safe haven areas and (4) from aerial ports of
embarkation to destination hospitals in the CONUS and between CONUS medical
facilities. To carry out this responsibility, MAC operates three major types of systems.
a. Tactical (Intratheater) System. The tactical system operates within a TO or
oversea area to provide aeromedical support for the USAF. This includes airlift of
patients from the combat zone to points outside the combat zone and between points
within the COMMZ. The most commonly used aircraft is the C-130 (Hercules)
(figure 7-3), but under special circumstances any cargo aircraft might be used. The
C-7 (Caribou) (figure 7-4) may also be used in the tactical system. These aircraft are the
least sophisticated of USAF aeromedical evacuation means, having limited treatment
facilities and patient comforts. They are basically cargo aircraft used for short-range
tactical cargo airlift into the combat zone, evacuating patients on the return trip. It is
important to consider the patient's fitness for air travel in using this system, as the
airborne environment may have an adverse physiological effect on the patient's
condition. The physician, who determines which patients to evacuate, when to
evacuate them, and how they shall be classified, must take these factors into
consideration.
MD0002
7-16