Today, the Armaments and Defence Technology Agency (ARWT), headed by Brigadier Michael Janisch, presented the first mobile test and laboratory bus equipped for the Covid-19 pandemic to Defence Minister Klaudia Tanner.

Since September 1, the ARWT has had a self-sufficient test and laboratory bus equipped for analytics. The testing capacity is around 380 tests per day. Following a test run, it should be possible for the Armed Forces’ nationwide military commands to request the bus in the event of an increased incidence of infection in order to detect infections as quickly as possible. “Over the past 18 months, the Office of Armaments and Defense Technology has carried out around 38,000 tests. Today’s presentation demonstrates the innovative field of activity of our Office of Armaments and Defense Technology. By using the test and laboratory bus, we can not only carry out tests quickly, but also evaluate them on site. This enables us to detect the so-called ‘superspreaders’ immediately, isolate them quickly and thus contain the risk of infection. This is the only way we can protect the health of our soldiers and the population in the best possible way and maintain the operational capability of our army even in times of crisis,” says Defense Minister Klaudia Tanner.

@Federal Army/Karlovits
The new bus will be able to evaluate around 380 Covid tests a day.

“Over the past eighteen months, the Office of Armaments and Defense Technology has repeatedly experienced situations at home and abroad where the rapid evaluation of mass tests on site would have been desirable due to the long transport distances to the fixed laboratory. In the event of an infection, the commanders need clarity about the infection situation as quickly as possible. Thanks to the laboratory bus, we can now ensure rapid analysis of Covid-19, but also of other viruses, bacteria and fungi,” explains Brigadier Michael Janisch. The Office of Armaments and Defense Technology has already been in Covid-19 operations for around 550 days and has clocked up around 54,000 hours. The tasks involved in containing the pandemic include tests of all kinds, FFP mask tests, antigen and antibody rapid test quality tests and 1ml disposable syringe quality tests. Office staff have carried out a total of over 26,000 diagnostic PCR tests and 12,000 rapid antigen and antibody tests.