Avon Protection handed £38m gas mask contract by MoD

Avon Protection shares rose on Thursday after the group revealed it won a tender from the Ministry of Defense to supply gas masks to the British Army. 

The contract is valued at up to £38million over four years, with five further 12-month option periods.

The London-listed group, which has supplied the MoD with General Service Respirator (GSR) masks since 2018, flagged reports which claimed Russia was using chemical weapons in Ukraine. 

Last week, US officials alleged that Russia was using the choking agent chloropicrin in Ukraine. 

Avon Protection’s share price climbed 3.1 per cent to 1,272p on Thursday morning, having surged by 315 per cent in the last year, reflecting higher global defence spending. 

The contract continues the Wiltshire-based firm’s close work with government in supplying general service respirators. Avon Protection also supplied gas masks to soldiers during World War Two. 

Jos Sclater, Avon Protection’s chief executive, said: ‘We are very proud to have won this competitive tender with the UK MoD and to continue supporting the UK’s objectives of providing the highest quality, most reliable and trusted protection equipment for the UK’s service men and women.

‘As we have seen with the reported deployment of chemical agents in Ukraine and in other recent conflicts, the highest grade CBRN protection is critical to operational capability for warfighters in the evolving reality of near-peer, hybrid warfare.’

He added: ‘This award is strategically important for Avon. It demonstrates our continued technological leadership in CBRN respiratory protection and provides a strong foundation for our UK business over the medium and long term. 

‘We look forward to continuing to provide the UK with a world-leading sovereign capability in CBRN protection from our facility in Melksham and developing new technologies which will provide unparalleled protection for those who defend our nation.’ 

Richard Bloomfield, head of electronic warfare and CBRN at MoD Defence Equipment and Support, said: ‘We welcome the award of this contract, which will ensure continued support of the respiratory protection available to our armed forces.

‘We have worked with Avon on supporting GSR for the past 6 years and look forward to continuing this relationship, offering high levels of protection to our troops across the world.’