Gas Mask and Respirator Wiki
Register
Advertisement


The GSR (General Service Respirator) is the current respirator for the UK armed forces, replacing the S10 as of early 2015. Designed by Scott Safety and DSTL, the mask represents a significant improvement on the S10, bringing increased comfort and protection. Its 40mm NATO variant is the FRR.

Background

Since 2000, design work and research was ongoing to develop a new general service respirator for the British Armed Forces. The new respirator, prototyped with a 3D printer[1], was designed to better meet the changing nature of the CBRN threat to soldiers and improve on protection, comfort, and equipment compatibility. The GSR was also designed to function better in warm climates and at altitude.[2][3]

The GSR was officially adopted on 2010-08-26 and training was started in the following year. British Forces Germany were the first to field the mask.

All recruits are trained in the use of the respirator, and existing personnel received refresher training.

As of January 2015, 309,228 respirators have been delivered to the British Armed Forces.[4]

The Filter

The filter design on the GSR is vastly different to most military respirators on the market at the current time. The filters (pictured below) have a lock system which allows filters to be swapped out more quickly and efficiently than the old threaded filters. The GSRe / GSReS variants can also be converted in the field to take more conventional NATO threaded canisters.

Other Features

The GSR is an ambidextrous mask as either filter can be rotated to face up to accommodate looking through optics on any weapon system. The GSR also prevents breathing through an inlet if there isn't a filter attached, in order to reduce the risk of accidental inhalation of CBRN particles in the air. It also includes a drinking tube.

Dissasembled...

Videos

References

Advertisement