Alan Dron

The US Navy has ordered a second production batch of aircrew respirators from Cam Lock (UK), the company announced at the show yesterday.

Precise numbers are not being released, but the four-year programme will see the procurement of several thousand examples of the company's Chemical, Biological, Radiological Respirator (CBRR). The value is understood to be worth up to $50 million.

The CBRR consists of an aircrew-mounted, battery-powered blower and filter unit, together with a mask and visor and a hood that fits under a helmet. Cam Lock says the CBRR's main selling point is that no modifications to the aircraft are required.

The system is a derivative of the UK's Type AR5 system, designed by the Institute of Aviation Medicine at DRA Farnborough and produced just a few miles away at Aldershot.

The AR5 was used in combat operations by Britain's Royal Air Force during the Gulf War on both fixed-wing aircraft and helicopters.

The US Navy initially bought a small batch of around 50 CBRRs for testing, following this up last year with an order for a first production batch. Yesterday's order is the second tranche.

Source: Flight Daily News