S10 NBC Respirator

S10 NBC Respirator
A S10 respirator with a filter
Type	Gas mask
Place of origin	United Kingdom
Service history
In service	1986–present
Used by	See Users
Production history
Manufacturer	Avon
Variants	See Variants

The S10 NBC Respirator is a military gas mask that was formerly used within all branches of the British Armed Forces. Following the mask's replacement by the General Service Respirator in 2011, the S10 is now widely available to the public on the army surplus market.

History

A British soldier with the S10 respirator during NBC exercises

The S10 was introduced in 1986 as a replacement for the S6 NBC Respirator^[1] in service from the 1960s, and is manufactured by Avon Rubber.^[2] S10s were issued to British nationals in Saudi Arabia during the 1991 Gulf War and were marked by a blue coloured PSM (Primary Speech Module) fitting or a blue painted spot on the forehead; although meant to be returned to the authorities after the Iraqi threat (from Scud missile attacks, potentially carrying chemical warheads) had expired, large numbers were unaccounted for in the wake of the conflict.

The S10 respirator was originally due to be replaced by the new General Service Respirator (GSR) in 2007, although replacement efforts officially began in 2011 and all S10 Respirators have since been replaced with the GSR. All issued filters for the S10 have expired, the last of which expired in 2014. No new S10 Respirators will be bought. ^[3]

Characteristics

Two filter canisters are issued for the S10, as with the S6; a light pressed metal type for riot control situations or training (marked with a painted red stripe or red tape), and a heavier plastic encased type for protection against NBC agents. The latter have a maximum shelf-life of 10 years, and the mask itself (the facepiece) of 20 years. The mask has many features including a fail-safe drinking device, a Secondary Speech Transmitter (SST) on the side which can accept special microphones, and corrective lenses can be fitted to the eyepieces. The mask also contains an inner mask to decrease fogging on the lenses.

Variants

Variants include:^[1]

• SF10, intended for security and special forces use (replaced, at least in SAS service, by the CT12)
• AR10 for police forces
• N10, a commercial version.

Users

•  Australia: Currently in use as of November 2017.^[4]
•  Hong Kong: S-10 and SF-10 used by the Special Duties Unit.^[5][6] Being replaced by the MSA Advantage 1000 CBA-RCA.^[7]
•  United Kingdom: Formerly issued to the British Armed Forces, but was replaced in 2011 by the General Service Respirator. It is likely that small stockpiles of S10 masks are kept for research purposes.^[8]

References

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Avon S10-series gas masks.