S6 NBC Respirator

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The S6 NBC Respirator was the protective gas mask issued to the British armed forces from the 1966 up until the introduction of the current-issue S10 in 1986, after which it was withdrawn from service.

The S6 was developed by the Defence Science and Technology Laboratory, Porton Down from the 1950s and manufactured by the Birmingham & Leyland Rubber Company. Although made obsolete by the S10, production of the S6 continued in Turkey after the adoption of the new mask by the British forces.

The S6 features an innovative air seal around the inside of the facepiece to improve fit and comfort of the mask; the pressure inside the seal can be adjusted by means of a tap inside the nosecup.

During the widely documented Iranian Embassy Siege of 1980, the S6 is the mask seen being worn by SAS troops.

Ex-British army S6 masks are easily found on the army surplus market, but can no longer be relied upon to provide any degree of protection as the effective shelf-lives of even the most recently-produced example will have expired.