There was a discussion some pages back about CASEVAC in the Russian and Ukrainian forces. The found this today on the FB page of North American Rescue (a first aid/medic supply company)
Quote:
"Medical evacuations are not like our NATO friends. A 20-30 minute CASEVAC is militaries fighting an insurgency with air dominance and big bases. Here, we must make do with what we have.
If you are lucky, an hour. It depends on many things. Where you are wounded. Do you have the medical equipment needed to save your own life? Many soldiers here don't.
Is there transport near? Many soldiers remove casualties from the combat zones by themselves - on foot. They carry them out.
Next, is there a car or ambulance ready to take you? Can it get close? Many times, no, they cannot. Where is the hospital? Is it close? If you have severe injuries, 50/50 chance."
- "Doc" Ukrainian Army. Eastern Front. December 3rd, 2022.
Documented by @nicklaidthelaw
@battles.and.beers
This jives with my experience in U.S. Army mechanized and Stryker units - CASEVAC on a high intensity battlefield (which I trained for at CMTC and NTC, but thankfully never had to experience) is a very different animal from the same task in a counter-insurgency environment. You can't just fly that MEDEVAC bird to the nearest clear LZ to the point of injury. Those birds stay well back of the front line, so they're kept away from enemy fire. Evac at least as far back as the brigade medical support company is by ground assets, and that takes time.
From the description given, it sounds like the AFU ground forces don't necessarily have an abundance of CASEVAC assets. I'm sure they're doing better at it than the Russians, but that whole "Golden Hour" standard that U.S. forces in Iraq and Afghanistan doesn't sound like it's being achieved that often. And in fairness, I think U.S. forces would be hard pressed to do it under similar condition. I know I never heard of it when I was in company and battalion level assignments.
Edited to add the quote box.
