Air Ambulance Technology delivers first Bell 412 Kit to Montenegro Armed Forces. (Vojska Crne Gora)

Montenegro, with its beautiful beaches and mountainous terrain, benefits from powerful and agile helicopters to help cope not only with natural disasters, but also cover patient transport for residents and tourists when the need may be.

In 2018, Montenegro was delivered three, secondhand Bell 412 EP/EPI helicopters not only to modernize the fleet but also set up the first HEMS service to offer state of the art patient care in the air.

With a small fleet of just 3 Bell 412’s, flexibility plays an important role if a maintenance issue or other transport needs occur.

One of the reasons Air Ambulance Technology was chosen to equip Montenegro’s Armed Forces with HEMS equipment was their “Quick Change Technology” The Bell 412 can be changed from a standard utility/troop helicopter without any structural changes to the helicopter within 30 minutes. The HEMS equipment can be installed in any of the three helicopters without any problems whatsoever.

Lukas Hollnsteiner, Technical Sales Engineer at Air Ambulance Technology: “I was very proud to be the sales lead and project manager for this introductory project in Montenegro. I had to take all aspects of a new operator into consideration. Flight profile, medical equipment and patient access for the medical crew all played a big role in the design and layout of the medical solution we designed for Montenegro.

State of the art medical devices was an important aspect of the layout. This included a Corpuls C3 Slim (Monitor Defibrillator), Weinmann Life Base NG3 (ventilator with a built-in 2liter oxygen cylinder), Braun Space (perfusion pump) and a Weinmann Accuvac Pro (Suction Unit) Also included in the configuration is an oxygen station which can hold 2000 liters of compressed oxygen, enough to cover all other missions that may occur. A mobile “Ground Power Unit” used to charge the medical devices whilst the helicopter is on the ground was also included. Dimmable LED lights and extendable stretcher handles complete the flexible HEMS system.

Air Ambulance Technology is a 27-year-old family business in its second generation. Nicole Kuntner-Hudson took over the role of CEO in 2018 as Dorothea and Egon Kuntner decided to leave the rudder to their daughter. Air Ambulance Technology was the pioneer for “Quick Change Interiors” for both helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft, and their interiors still require no structural change to the aircraft for installation. They have delivered over 1000 EMS, VIP and Special Mission kits world-wide and own over 35 STC’s for both helicopter and fixed-wing aircraft.