Gas Mask - U.S. Armed Forces M17 Standard (W/ Drinking Tube)

The M17 Protective Mask is a series of gas masks that were designed and produced in 1959 (as a replacement of the M-9 gas mask) to provide protection from all types of known chemical and biological agents present. The M-17 was issued to troops in the Vietnam war, and was standard issue for the U.S Army until it was replaced by the M-40 in the late 1980s and early 1990s. The mask has different components like a filter, a face piece and outserts. Filter elements in the face piece prevent harmful agents from entering the mask. The M17 series includes three types of masks, the M17, M17A1 and M17A2. An experimental transparent-silicone model was designed in 1966, but was turned down. Many countries have copied the M-17 design.