44K Helmets Being Recalled (out of ~1.1M in stock)

[The Bread Guy]

DoD release:

The Department of the Army announced today that it has initiated a recall message for approximately 44,000 Advanced Combat Helmets produced by ArmorSource LLC (formerly Rabintex USA LLC).  These helmets do not meet Army specifications.

                The 44,000 helmets represent about 4 percent of Advanced Combat Helmets issued to soldiers.  Sufficient helmets produced by other manufacturers that meet Army requirements are currently available in the Army’s inventory.  The Army will immediately issue these helmets to soldiers worldwide serving in those units identified to have recalled helmets.  Army Central Issue Facilities have been directed to remove all affected helmets from the inventory and to directly exchange noncompliant helmets turned in for helmets meeting Army specifications.  The recalled helmets will be sent to the Defense Logistics Agency Defense Reutilization and Marketing Services for demilitarization.

                The exact risk to soldiers wearing the recalled helmets is still being determined; however, sample testing from a quarantined inventory revealed that the helmets did not meet Army specifications.

                The matter is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, Office of the Inspector General.

Company statement:

On May 14, 2010 the U.S. Department of Defense issued a press release stating that it was recalling 44,000 Advanced Combat Helmets delivered to the U.S. Government by ArmorSource LLC. ArmorSource received no notification of this recall from the government and has no additional information at this time regarding the recall other than that press release. 

ArmorSource is committed to providing products that meet or exceed the government's performance specifications with safety as its highest priority. To that end ArmorSource has a quality assurance program for the helmets that was reviewed by and approved by U.S. Government quality assurance representatives.

All Advanced Combat Helmets distributed to the field were accepted by the government after they passed independent, government-approved quality and lot testing.  ArmorSource will cooperate fully with any governmental inquiries regarding its Advanced Combat Helmet and is seeking to obtain additional information to allow ArmorSource to address the government's concerns.

ArmorSource LLC takes extreme pride in building products that keep our law enforcement and military personnel as safe as possible at home and around the world.

 

[The Bread Guy]

Who knew U.S. prisoners were making military equipment?  This from Stars & Stripes:

Federal prisoners will no longer make helmets for U.S. troops after the Army recalled 44,000 that were made by UNICOR — also known as Federal Prison Industries.

Testing revealed that the helmets did not meet the Army’s ballistic standards. The company has suspended making helmets indefinitely, said Traci Billingsley, a spokeswoman for the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The decision to stop making the helmets was made a few months ago, she said on Wednesday.

“I can tell you that the decision to stop making helmets was prompted by an audit by defense and an investigation by the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General,” she said in an e-mail.

On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Christopher Carney, D-Pa., called for a review of military contracts to Federal Prison Industries after the Army’s recall.

“Our military men and women deserve the best-made equipment and this recall further demonstrates the pitfalls of trusting prisoners with the lives of our soldiers and Marines,” Carney said in a news release on Tuesday ....

Link to Carney's news release here.

 

[jollyjacktar]

What happened to the good old days when Cons repaired roads (by hand) and made licence plates?

 

[mover1]

Your Dog Tags are made at the pen. Chances are half your office equipemnt is CORCAN or Corrections Canada and I have even seen them repair trailers and such for DND.

 

[1feral1]

Rabintex currently supplies the ballistic helmet to Australian forces.

I wonder if this is the same type?

Speaking or CORCAN, they also used to make all the rifle racks supplies to DND too, or they did back in the early 1990's.

OWDU

 

[armyvern]

Your Dog Tags are made at the pen. Chances are half your office equipemnt is CORCAN or Corrections Canada and I have even seen them repair trailers and such for DND.

True that; I've cut VMOs moving trailers to them.

 

[Marauder]

Shitty, cut rate office furniture and throwaway meat tags are one thing; but HELMETS???

Just how stupid did someone have to be? On what planet is letting cons build ballistic PPE even remotely a sensible idea?

 

[chrisf]

Rabintex currently supplies the ballistic helmet to Australian forces.

I wonder if this is the same type?

Speaking or CORCAN, they also used to make all the rifle racks supplies to DND too, or they did back in the early 1990's.

OWDU

According to the data plate on my rad truck (the pod at least), it's last refurbishment was done by CORCAN.

There's a lot of federal government furniture manufactured by CORCAN as well.

 

[2010newbie]

Rabintex currently supplies the ballistic helmet to Australian forces.

I wonder if this is the same type?

OWDU

Looks like Rabintex USA was established solely to suppply the US market and was a Joint Venture between Rabintex (based in Israel) and Composix Corp (Division of Royal Ten Cate  based in Netherlands). Rabintex sold their share of the joint venture in 2008 and at that time, the name changed to ArmorSource LLC. I cannot find any information as to whether or not Composix Corp still owns ArmorSource.

http://www.rabintex.com/Press_Releases_View.asp?ID=12

Here are some additional reports on Royal Ten Cote, Federal Prison Industries (UNICOR), and Rabintex.

 

[mover1]

Shitty, cut rate office furniture and throwaway meat tags are one thing; but HELMETS???

Just how stupid did someone have to be? On what planet is letting cons build ballistic PPE even remotely a sensible idea?

In canada anyways
And my dog tags are part of my identification.
I am not, nor is any of the guys I have brought home for a repat.  (including this latest one) a piece of meat.
http://www.csc-scc.gc.ca/text/prgrm/corcan/goods_services-eng.shtml

 

[The Bread Guy]

The latest:  according to Wired.com, it seems the same company is now going to be making body armour (for Pakistan, not the U.S.):

Building parts for Patriot missile systems was just a warm-up, apparently, for a government-owned company that relies on federal inmates making at little as 23 cents an hour. On Wednesday, the U.S. Army announced that it handed Federal Prison Industries a no-bid, nearly $20 million contract to build body armor.

It’s the latest in a decades-long string of military deals for FPI, also known as Unicor. Over the years, the company has supplied parts for F-15 and F-16 fighter jets, the Cobra attack helicopter, and the iconic Patriot interceptor system. (More about that in a second.)

But this deal is particularly odd, because FPI’s track record with protective equipment is, to put it generously, uneven. In May of last year, the Army recalled 44,000 FPI-made protective helmets after they failed ballistic testing. FPI then promptly got out of the helmet business.

That rather serious blemish on FPI’s record hasn’t stopped the Army from going back to the firm for $19,767,468’s worth of bulletproof “Outer Tactical Vests.” According to the Army’s contract announcement, the gear is supposed to be “for Pakistan” — presumably, for the Pakistani military. (Although a State Department told suppliers Wednesday that it wants 1,000 vests in Pakistan, too.) ....

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