Avon Protection wins respirator contract worth up to $47 million from UK MoD

Avon Protection has been awarded a contract from the UK MoD for the supply and support of GSR respirators, a deal worth up to £38 million (US$47 million) over a period of four years with an option for a further five twelve-month periods.

The twin-canister, single-visor GSR is the standard issue respirator for all UK service personnel across three services and the deal follows on from a 2018 contract which has seen the supply of 90,000 GSR’s to the MoD.

Avon Protection chief executive officer, Jos Sclater, highlighted current conflicts across the world as evidence of the importance of such masks.

“As we have seen with the reported deployment of chemical agents in Ukraine and in other recent conflicts, the highest grade CBRN protection is critical to operational capability for warfighters in the evolving reality of near-peer, hybrid warfare,” Sclater said.

At DSEI last year the company unveiled a full-body garment designed to integrate with Avon's existing CBRN respiratory masks, including the FM50 air purifying respirator and EXOSKIN boots and gloves for military and first responder markets.

In 2020 Avon Protection was awarded a ten-year framework contract by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency to supply a complete CBRN respirator system. Later in the year Belgium, Finland and Norway ordered CBRN respiratory protection equipment under the agreement with The Netherlands placing an order in early January 2021.