Soldiers from Chatham build mobile coronavirus testing unit

Army mobile testing unit Credit: Ministry of Defence

Trainee army mechanics are using their skills in the fight against coronavirus.

Soldiers at Brompton Barracks in Chatham have been involved in a project by the Royal Engineers to build this a mobile testing unit.

It's a van converted for use as a mini storage facility for Covid-19 swabs and paperwork.

  • Sergeant James Cronin explains how the van was converted

The army workshops in Chatham were responsible for just one prototype which is now being rolled out right across the country.

It's hoped there will be more than 90 mobile testing units being run by the MOD.

Preparing a mobile testing unit Credit: Ministry of Defence

At the start of the pandemic the Government was criticised for its slow response to testing but it now has the capacity to carry out 200,000 tests per day.

  • See the full report by Tom Savvides. It includes interviews with Lt Colonel Mark Stephenson and Lt General Tyrone Urch.