0 shares

Israel Defense Forces have turned to Darth Vader as their model for new military gas masks.

With a superior visual field and protection against hazardous chemicals, the new masks come at an inflated price tag compared to their predecessors.

Israel Defense Forces officials want to substitute the army’s existing gas masks with ones that can withstand a chemical attack. The model used at the moment by combat units looks like the masks used by Israeli civilians, distributed by the Home Front Command.

The current M-15 gas mask features triangular eye pieces, a voicemeter for verbal communication capacity, an exhalation valve and drinking tube assembly.

Darth Vader Gas Mask

The army has recently been trialling out new masks on their soldiers. These are mostly made of a stretchy fabric, with received feedback saying they are easier to put on and more comfortable to wear.

Thirty soldiers from the military’s Atomic, Biological and Chemical Warfare Center tested the M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask, which is already used by the US armed forces.

Compared to the current mask used by the Israelis, the M50 offers a better visual field and rather than the filters being located near the mouth, they are on each side of the head.

Resembling Darth Vader’s mask in the cult Star Wars films, the design permits hazardous chemical substance exposure for an entire 24 hours and changes colour to indicate when the filters will cease functioning. At around $300, each mask costs over four times of the one currently in operation.

Developed and designed by Avon, the M50 is described as the most advanced protective respiratory mask yet. 

According to an army official, the trials are focused on increasing comfort during combat and the chemical resilience relates to the region’s military strategy as IDF officials monitor Syria’s stockpile of chemical weapons.

Chief of Staff Lt. Gen. Benny Gantz said while they have not ascertained any alterations to the chemical weapons arsenal in Syria’s possession, or seen any evidence of a transfer to Hezbollah, “There’s no doubt that Hezbollah could see the chemical weapons as a convenient deterrent. We have to reduce the risk that it will happen.”

Image Copyright Gage Skidmore - Courtesy Wikimedia Commons