The PRV-U (Russian: Противогаз Ракетных Войск, Улучшенный - "Rocket forces mask, improved"), in East Germany PRWU, it is a gas mask kit used by Soviet missile troops, appearing some time around the 1970s.
Overview[]
The PRV-U kit is a gas mask kit designed to deal with the highly corrosive and highly oxidizing fuels and liquids that are present during rocket fueling. The facepiece itself is called the ShMS-R it is a helmet-type gas mask, which stretches completely over the head. The overall shape of the mask is exactly the same as the ShMS.
The PRV-U kit was issued with either black or grey rubber ShMS-R facepieces much like other Soviet masks during the time period.
The eyepieces, which are not angled as much as those of the ShM-41, feature distortion-free lenses and are more suited to soldiers that must aim down an optical sight. It can be found in either grey or black, like most other soviet gas masks of the time.
Differences[]
It is based on the ShMS gas mask, the most significant difference between them being that the PRV-U's voice diaphragm cover, which lacks the holes found on the ShMS. The modified voice diaphragm cover was designed to protect the voice diaphragm from the drops of toxic and caustic rocket fuels and oxidizers (UDMH, triethylamine-xylidine mixtures, nitric acid, nitrogen tetroxide etc.), as the PRV-U was intended for use by the Strategic Missile Troops.
Another difference between the ShMS-R and ShMS is that the metal neck near the filter/tube attachment has a shallow bump, which is meant to serve as an attachment point for a rubber and canvas sleeve that is designed to protect the mask's rubber hose and Valve assembly from the extremely corrosive fuels.
The PRV-U kit also includes a specialized bag, which is meant to hold the filter. There are two types of bags, an earlier kit which sported a smaller bag with one hole cut into the bottom as an air inlet hole for the filters and a later issued bag that featured two holes in the bottom as an air inlet for the filters.
East German Issue[]
The East German variant of the PRV-U kit was designated the PRVW-U kit. Instead of the bag that was issued with the Soviet Kit, East German Troops were issued a mask with either a Tragetasche 1 or Tragetasche 1T bag. This bag can be seen in the below photos.
Earlier Issued Kit[]
- ShMS-R facepiece (Russian: Шлем Маска Специальная, Ракетчик - "Special helmet mask, rocket")
- Stockinette Rubber Hose
- Rubberized hose sleeve
- EO-20K Rocket Fuel Filter
- EO-20P Rocket Fuel Pre-Filter
- Special Rubberized bag w/ one air inlet hole
- Anti-Fogging Lenses
Later Issued Kit[]
- ShMS-R facepiece (Russian: Шлем Маска Специальная, Ракетчик - "Special helmet mask, rocket")
- Rubber Hose
- Rubberized hose sleeve
- EO-65-K Rocket Fuel Filter
- DP-1 Rocket Fuel Pre-Filter
- Special Rubberized bag w/ two air inlet holes
- Anti-Fogging Lenses
.jpg "Later Issued PRV-U Bag (Overall).jpg (3.34 MB)")
Gallery[]
