Air Force Assists United States FBI

September 15, 2001

The Royal New Zealand Air Force will next week carry a consignment of rescue helmets to the United States following a request from the New Zealand manufacturer of the specialized rescue helmets, Pacific Helmets NZ Ltd, and the FBI in the United States.

The FBI’s order for 700 of Pacific Helmets’ specialized product could be only partly met in the time available until departure from NZ to the US of a commercial freight aircraft early next week. FBI personnel will use the helmets during their work at the scenes of last week’s terrorist attacks.

The joint request for RNZAF assistance will see the balance of nearly 400 helmets carried on a RNZAF B727 aircraft already scheduled to depart NZ next week on another task that would take it through the US to Canada and the United Kingdom.

“I am pleased our Defence Force can help by carrying this consignment to our friends in the United States,” said Air Marshal Carey Adamson, Chief of Defence Force.

“This is a small, but significant, contribution from our Air Force to the authorities in the US who have the immense task of investigating the terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center and the Pentagon.”

ENDS

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