IP-46

ИП-46

Изолирующий Противогаз

Also

IM-46

Preceded by	Succeeded by
OPT (Czechoslovakia)	IP-5 IP-4

Made in

Soviet Union

Period

1940s-1980s

Issued to

Советская Армия (Soviet Army)

Magyar Néphadsereg (Hungarian People's Army)

Armata Populară Română (Romanian People's Army)

Българска народна армия (Bulgarian People's Army)

Československá Lidová Armáda (Czechoslovak People's Army)

Ludowe Wojsko Polskie (Polish People's Army)

Manufacturer

FS

The IP-46 was a Soviet CCR (Closed Circuit Rebreather) that was used mainly underwater for tank crews. It was used in many Warsaw Pact countries.

Overview[]

The IP-46 insulating breathing apparatus has been manufactured serially in the Soviet Union and has been designed to protect individuals in areas with oxygen deprivation, poisonous contaminants, radioactive substances, and biological warfare agents. An important function of the device was that the IP-46M allowed work under water to a depth of 6m. But it was mostly used by tank crews when crossing rivers or other bodies of water.

Működjélmááááááááááárrrrr — Sizing of the facepiece.

The helmet styled facepiece, called ШВСМ (ShVSM) is cemented together from many rubber sheets and features a peripheral seal, mouthpiece, nose clip and a fixed corrugated hose.

The device is packed in an aluminum frame placed in a canvas bag and consists of an U shaped rubber breathing bag (with additional oxygen supply devices on the top - only on the IP-46M) and a pressure relief valve on the bottom. The breathing bag served as a reservoir of air and oxygen released by regenerative cartridges. On the IP-46M the additional dose of oxygen was used to fill the breathing bag when immersed deeply. At the same time, however, it also replenished the supply of oxygen when it was deficient in the respiratory bag or in the use of regenerative cartridges. It can inflate the breathing bag with oxygen quickly and only works under water. The regeneration cartridge (RP-46 or RP-46M) can be placed in the middle is served to absorb water vapor and carbon dioxide from exhaled air and convert it to oxygen. There are some other differences between the two types. On the IP-46 the hose is longer. The nose clip on the IP-46 is fixed to the mouth part, while on the IP-46M to the mouth piece. On the IP-46-M there is a regenerative cartridge warming blanket placed in a side pocket which had to be used under 10°C.

It gave protection for:

During hard physical work 50 minutes
During medium physical work 1 hour
During light physical work 3 hours
In calm state 5 hours
Under water 20 minutes (water temp.: 1-5 C°)
Under water more than 1 hour (water temp.: 5-10 C°)
Under water 2 hours (water temp.: 15-20 C°)

Service and external information[]

Soviet Union[]

Development started at the end of the Second World War because a multifunctional rebreather was needed in place of the only land use KIP-5 and underwater intended IPA-3.

Czechoslovakia[]

Main article: Czechoslovak IP-46 copy

Czechoslovakia had their own special production variant of the IP-46. (Not yet known if it was under the same designation) This variant utilized a plain rubber hose free of any stockinette covering. As well as a unpainted angle-tube assembly. It had eye lens crimping that was of plain metal construction with no protective finish applied. It also lacked a tape covering over the wire and instead used rubber bands to cover it. The face piece construction was also different. It used a slightly different rubber blend as well as a different rubber vulcanization method.