Avon Protection Systems, part of Avon Rubber p.l.c., has won a $22.3m contract with the United States Department of Defense (DoD) Joint Service General Purpose Mask (JSGPM) program to supply M50 spares and filters.

The first stage of this contract is to deliver 726,834 Chemical B Canisters; the second, under a current spare parts contract with the US DoD, is to provide the same amount of filters throughout August 2010. This contract further supports the continuing rollout of the M50 respirator across the US military. So far, Avon has already delivered over 200,000 M50 masks under its 10-year sole source contract.

Gary Dunn, Vice President US Sales and Marketing, explains: “Securing this additional contract award with the US DoD reinforces our position as a key supplier to the United States armed forces. Overall, it is the largest spares order Avon has secured since the JSGPM program award in April 2000.”

About the JSGPM Program The Avon M50 JSGPM Program is currently in service for all four US armed forces. Currently being fielded, the JSGPM was developed to effectively counter respiratory threats occurring in multiple field and mission scenarios. The M50 mask provides advanced respiratory protection against chemical and biological warfare agents, select Toxic Industrial Materials (TIMs) and particulate matter including radioactive hazards.

About Avon Protection Systems, Inc. Avon Protection Systems, Inc., an Avon Rubber p.l.c. company, is an industry leader in the design, development and manufacture of respiratory protection products for Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN), toxic industrial chemicals (TICs), and toxic industrial materials (TIMs) applications. With new conflicts, threat scenarios and active environments creating additional daily risks for individuals in the military, law enforcement, corrections, First-responder and Special Response industries, Avon Protection maintains a market-leading position by investing in continual research and design innovations to protect the elite end-user.

For more information, contact: Andy Parker, PR Manager Phone  +44 (0) 1225 896 556 Email:  andy.parker@avon-rubber.com