Breathe Deep.

914th Airlift Wing members Maj. Andrea Pitruzzella (right) and Senior Airman Andrew Caya being issued and trained in the basics of the new M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask January 9 2011 Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, Niagara Falls, NY. The M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask will be the standard for the United States Armed Forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph McKee)

Breathe Deep.

914th Airlift Wing member Senior Master Sgt. Keith Lawson being issued and trained in the basics of the new M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask January 9 2011 Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station, Niagara Falls, NY. The M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask will be the standard for the United States armed Forces. (U.S. Air Force photo by Staff Sgt. Joseph McKee)

The M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask

Published Jan. 19, 2011
By Staff Sgt. Joseph McKee
914th Airlift Wing Public Affairs

Niagara Falls Air Reserve Station -- While looking like a Darth Vader convention, members of the 914th Airlift Wing were issued and trained in the basics of the new M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask.

The M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask will be the standard for the Air Force, Army, Navy and Marines and are an improvement over the older M40 masks.

The new mask is designed to be more compact, lighter, comfortable and effective. The M50 also has a wider field of view, thanks to a single lens that spans the width of the face. Other advancements include a twin conformal filter which allows 50 percent improvement in breathing resistance. In addition, the mask allows over 24 hours of protection against chemical or biological agents and radioactive particulate matter.