A Türk Hava Kuvvetleri (Turkish Air Force) Airbus A400M Atlas has delivered 250,000 crucial items of personal protective equipment (PPE) to the UK.
The aircraft – serial 15-0051 (c/n 051), operated by 221 Filo ‘Esen’ (221 Squadron ‘Breeze’) from Etimesgut air base, Ankara – delivered the supplies to RAF Brize Norton, Oxfordshire, on April 10.
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The PPE package included 50,000 N-95 face masks, 100,000 surgical masks and 100,000 protective suits, which will now be transferred to a regional NHS distribution hub for delivery to hospitals and medical centres across the country.
Defence Secretary Ben Wallace said: “The delivery of this vital equipment will bring protection and relief to thousands of critical workers across the UK, as they bravely and tirelessly work to keep us safe… It is also a tribute to the strong bilateral ties with our ally Turkey, and I am immensely grateful for their kind gesture… As NATO allies we can always depend on each other, whatever the threats we face.”
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The delivery of this PPE equipment comes after a Royal Air Force (RAF) Boeing C-17A Globemaster III transported 37 tonnes of aid from the UK to Turkey last month, which was used to help those affected by the crisis on the nation’s border with Syria. On top of Turkey’s PPE delivery, the UK has also received 60 ventilator units from the Bundeswehr (German Armed Forces).
