A sketch of the new “medical” glider developed by the IDF and the Technion – Israel Institute of Technology. Photo: IDF Spokesperson’s Unit.

JNS.org — A medical glider that will streamline on-the-scene treatment of injured soldiers and potentially save many lives has been developed by the Medical Corps of the Israel Defense Forces (IDF), Israel Hayom reported Wednesday.

The glider — designed in collaboration with the prestigious Technion-Israel Institute of Technology in Haifa — is able to carry up to 110 pounds of critical medical supplies and cover a distance of 12 miles within eight minutes. Its collapsible wings allow it to be transported in and launched from a plane if necessary.

“The glider won’t eliminate the need to evacuate [wounded] soldiers, but it will allow us to bring the hospital to the patients and carry out evacuations in a more considered, calm manner, and deliver soldiers to the hospital in better condition,” said IDF Medical Corps Maj. Dr. Dean Nachman.

He said that the glider — which can carry blood transfusion and intubation kits, as well as antibiotics — will allow medics to bring perishable supplies to troops on prolonged deployment, and to the scenes of “mass-casualty events, where there is a shortage of equipment in the field.”

“We need to provide [soldiers] with the best-possible treatment, even in enemy territory,” Nachman added.