XM50 JSGPM 4423264 223560760 2008-07-04T16:53:47Z Fatgerman 622038 [[Image:IP JSGPM-1.gif|thumb|right|250px|XM250/JSGPPM]] [[Image:Jsgpm.jpg|thumb|right|250px|Early drawings/models of the Joint Service General Purpose Mask]] The '''XM50 JSGPM''' ('''J'''oint '''S'''ervice '''G'''eneral '''P'''urpose '''M'''ask) is a developmental protective [[gas mask]] to be phased into service with the [[US Army]] and [[Marine Corps]] from September 2006, replacing the current-issue [[M40 (field protective mask)|M40]] and previous-issue M17-series masks. Like many developmental programs, there are differences between early JSGPM and the product that may officially be adopted. The XM50 is said to incorporate many innovative features following a long development period, and is being manufactured by [[Avon Rubber]] in the UK, makers of the British [[S10 NBC Respirator|S10]] and [[FM12]] masks. An abstract of the July 2005 report on the XM50, which is in the public domain reads: Abstract : The Joint Service General Purpose Mask (JSGPM) is the next generation chemical protective mask intended to replace the MCU-2 and M-40 series masks. Developmental testing and user assessment of the XM5O, a variant of the JSGPM, indicated that the XM5O lacked sufficient fogging mitigation[http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA442801] and sweat reduction capabilities. Lens fogging and sweat accumulation in the mask degrade user confidence, impose a physiological burden upon the user, and can seriously degrade operational effectiveness. These performance shortcomings resulted in joint service concern and design changes to the mask were made. In 2003, a field evaluation indicated that the sweat reduction issues had been resolved, but the evaluation was limited and did not challenge the XM5O's ability to mitigate fogging. 20 JUN 2008: New gas masks begin rollout in South Korea Article by: By Erik Holmes - Staff writer - Air Force Times Airmen on the Korean peninsula became the first in the Air Force to receive the new joint service general purpose gas mask to replace the aging masks currently in use by most of the service. Between 6,000 and 8,000 airmen received the masks, also called the M-50, on June 9, said Jaime Frittman of the Air Force Civil Engineering office. The Air Force has more than 500,000 gas masks service-wide, and all of those will be replaced by the M-50 during the next five years, Frittman said. A recent Air Force Audit Agency report showed widespread defects in the older masks, but Frittman said the replacement was already planned. Initial reports from airmen in Korea have been positive, she said. The new masks have a number of advantages over the old ones — an increased field of peripheral vision, an internal drinking tube that can be repositioned, a lighter weight, a better head harness that doesn’t move around on the head, and dual filters that can be changed while the mask is being worn. The new mask also doesn’t have a problem with disbonding, in which the rubber and metal parts separate, Frittman said. ==See also== Lists: * [[List of weapons of the U.S. Marine Corps]] * [[List of individual weapons of the U.S. Armed Forces]] ===References=== *[http://stinet.dtic.mil/oai/oai?&verb=getRecord&metadataPrefix=html&identifier=ADA442801 Evaluation of the Joint Service General Purpose Mask, XM50] *[http://www.airforcetimes.com/news/2008/06/airforce_korea_gas_masks_061808w/ ] ==External links== *[http://www.globalsecurity.org/military/systems/ground/jsgpm.htm Joint Service General Purpose Mask (JSGPM)] *[http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/cbrd/ip/jsgpm.htm] *[http://www.jpeocbd.osd.mil/page_manager.asp?pg=2&sub=40] [[Category:Military equipment of the United States]]