Avon Protection today announces an order of 135,000 M50 mask systems from the US Department of Defense under the additional requirements option of its sole source US Joint Services General Purpose Mask (JSGPM) program contract.

The order is valued at $33m and brings orders for our JSGPM mask system under this program to a total of 1.4m systems. This provides Avon with order coverage in line with expectations for the remainder of this financial year and excellent visibility of M50 sales for well into our 2015 financial year.

Avon’s reputation with the US Department of Defense (DOD) has developed significantly over recent years with the company winning an IDIQ contract for filter spares, which has a maximum order quantity of 2.4m filter pairs per year and 12m filter pairs over the contract term.

Last year, the company won a contract with the DOD to develop a modified version of its renowned M53 mask to provide protection to a wide range of operators in its fleet of Fixed Wing aircraft. The modified full face mask will provide the DOD aircrew community with upgraded CBRNe respiratory protection under the JSAM (Joint service Aircrew Mask) program.

Peter Slabbert, Chief Executive of Avon Rubber p.l.c. commented: “This US $33m order demonstrates the DOD’s continued commitment to Avon’s market leading high technology M50 mask (photo) to meet their complex operational requirements.”

Avon Protection offers a wide selection of high-performance, timesaving respiratory protection equipment which employ the most advanced features in the industry. Avon has been supplying respirators to the UK Ministry of Defence and other NATO allies since the 1920’s.

The company is the primary supplier of CBRN personal respiratory equipment to the United States Department of Defense, providing respiratory equipment to the Army, Navy, Marines, Air Force and Special Operations Forces. Additionally, Avon Protection is the market leader among LE and SWAT users in the US.