Type 69

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Type 69

Also

FMJ04

Preceded by	Succeeded by
Type 65	MF-11

Filter connection
40mm GOST

Made in

China

Period

~1969

Issued to

中国人民解放军 (Chinese people's Liberation Army)

Manufacturer

Various factories under Shanxi Xinhua

Overview[]

The Type 69, also known as FMJ04, was first introduced into trials during late 1968, being fully adopted in 1969, making it the Chinese Military Gas Mask model of 1969. Type 69 often wrongly known as M69. The mask was brought into production to attempt to replace previous masks. The mask never really made any sort of mark on history, like most other Chinese masks of the cold war. It saw limited use in the PLA during the cold war, but has seen more use, likely for training, in more recent times.

The mask featured Tissot tubes, a rubber voice diaphragm, large triangular eyepieces (almost certainly derived from the American M9A1), and a GOST 8762-75 compliant 40mm plastic side-mounted filter, sealed with fabric tape and a rubber band. The mask still uses a “helmet style” configuration but uses oddly placed ventilation holes (somewhat similar to PMG), one for the top of your head, and 2 that allow your ears to stick out. These holes expose a great deal of a humans head and would require a hood to be used in any sort of Skin/Blister agent-based gas attack. The voice diaphragm and exhale assembly are combined into one oval-shaped grey plastic assembly on the forward lower section of the mask. The mask does show many Soviet-like features, with their fabric tape and metal clamp seals, and the plain interior.

One very interesting feature of this mask is the small grey, fabric tape sealed container in one of the inner pouches. This small container contains replacement parts for the entire front assembly (functioning pieces only). It contains an entire internal exhale valve assembly and an entire replacement voice diaphragm assembly. These tins are seen in almost all Cold War era Chinese masks.

The lack of metal on Chinese masks is astonishing, only counting 3 metal pieces on the m69, which makes the mask extraordinarily light. The filter that comes with all of the masks is about twice as small as a normal 40mm filter, total plastic assembly, and is very light. The mask is available in size 1, 2, 3, and 4, of which 4 is the largest (this may indicate that the sizing system is similar to TF-1).

Bags[]

There are 3 types of bags for the Type 69, the first and rarest model introduced in 1969, was a smaller more compact bag. It had only 1 pocket on the inside for the spare parts, which would be sewn onto the bottom of the bag. It used the bakelite studs as a closing mechanism which was the same as on the Type 64A and early Type 65 bags. It was produced from 1969 to possibly 1975.

The 2nd model was larger and had 2 pockets, 1 small for the spare parts and filter caps and the other larger one for the filter when crossing water or in the non alert position. It had the same closing mechanism and used the same waist strap as on the Type 64 bags and was produced from around 1975 to 1983. (examples can be seen in the factories category)

The 3rd model, produced from around 1983 to possibly the early 1990s, it was larger than the 2nd model and 4 pockets on the inside, 1 for the spare parts, 1 for the waist strings and 2 for unknown reasons, it used a large velcro rectangle as a closing mechanism.

Difference on Type 69 from different factories[]

Type 69 masks and their kits were manufactured by different factories under the same company: Shanxi Xinhua. The colour of the facepiece and the quality of the overall kit varies in accordance to which factory they came from.

NOTE: It is speculated that there are other factories that made Type 69 other than these two.