New protective suits, modern protective masks, firefighting helmets and emergency helmets: the Armed Forces is investing a total of 19.3 million euros in equipping its soldiers and civilian staff.
“The individual protection of our soldiers and civilian staff is our top priority so that they can carry out their diverse and sometimes very dangerous missions. It was therefore very important to me to procure state-of-the-art protective clothing.”
Verteidigungsministerin Klaudia Tanner
NBC protective suit medium
The new NBC protective suit is an important part of the soldier’s individual protective equipment and protects the wearer from the effects of nuclear, biological and chemical hazards. With this new protective suit and its breathable structure, heat build-up and moisture formation are reduced, which has also significantly increased the soldiers’ deployment time under NBC conditions to around six hours. By procuring different sizes of protective suit, the differences in size for men and women could also be sufficiently taken into account. Currently, 30,000 of these protective suits have been procured at a cost of ten million euros. A further 6,000 units are to be purchased each year at a cost of 2.5 million euros.
NBC protective mask M2000
The NBC protective mask and matching bags were also renewed. 70,000 of these masks and bags were purchased at a cost of nine million euros in order to significantly increase the protection of emergency personnel. In conjunction with the combination filter, the NBC protective mask prevents the inhalation of radioactive particles as well as biological and chemical hazardous substances. It also prevents contamination of the face, in particular the eyes and skin. An integrated drinking connection allows liquids or food to be consumed in liquid form if necessary.
Heros-titan firefighting helmet
With an investment of 216,000 euros, 750 firefighting helmets were also purchased from Rosenbauer to replace the helmets that have been in use for 20 years. The new helmets will be used by the NBC defense, the fire protection forces of the military training areas, the aircraft rescue and NBC defense platoons as well as the mine rescue services and army ammunition depots. This helmet can be used for both indoor and outdoor firefighting. Its textile interior is very easy to remove and can be machine-cleaned. https://militaeraktuell.at/test-fuchs-baut-firmenzentrale-kraeftig-aus/
Heros H10 helmet
The Austrian Armed Forces invested a further 39,000 euros in the procurement of 200 modern combat helmets, also from Rosenbauer. This helmet is particularly suitable for the AFDRU (Austrian Forces Disaster Relief Unit) – where it is used – as it can be flexibly adapted to the requirements of various deployment scenarios thanks to its compatibility with respiratory masks and communication systems. The helmet can be used in extreme heat of 300 degrees Celsius as well as in cold conditions down to minus 40 degrees Celsius. With a weight of 1.3 kilograms, it is light enough not to put any strain on the emergency services, yet robust enough to offer comprehensive protection.
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