View source for MCU-2/P protective mask

{{Short description|Gas mask used by the US military}}
[[File:US Navy 100925-N-3374C-032 Yeoman Seaman Michael Barnes, assigned to the administration department of the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush (CV.jpg|thumb|A United States Navy sailor donning a MCU-2P protective mask during a chemical, biological, and radiological (CBR) drill aboard the {{USS|George H.W. Bush|CVN-77}}.]]
[[File:Ellsworth celebrates Month of the Military Child 160409-F-MZ237-039.jpg|thumb|At [[Ellsworth Air Force Base]]]]

The '''MCU-2/P''' is a [[protective mask]] used by the [[United States Air Force]] and [[United States Navy]], originally designed for the US Army as the XM-30 mask. In December 1982, the U.S. Air Force took over the XM-30 mask development.  In 1983, the U.S. Navy requested the first masks off the production lines since the Army mask was no longer in production and the Navy had none.  The Air Force agreed, except to get 5,000 masks to support a 1985 Technology Demonstration.  Production began in 1985 and some active duty Sailors and Airmen had a new protective mask before Operation [[Desert Storm]] in 1991.  It replaced the earlier [[M17 gas mask]] and is itself scheduled to be replaced by the [[M50 Joint Service General Purpose Mask|M50 joint service general purpose mask]]. The MCU-2/P features a single large lens and a side-mounted filter. A clear or tinted visor and protective hood are used in conjunction with the mask.

Like the [[United States Army|Army]] and [[United States Marine Corps|USMC]] [[M40 (field protective mask)|M40]] mask, the MCU-2/P's silicon rubber facepiece was found to be susceptible to corrosion from [[blister agents]], rendering it of little value on the battlefield.{{citation needed|date=January 2011}} A black rubber "second skin" can be worn over this to prevent corrosion.{{citation needed|date=October 2011}}

==MCU 2A/P==
This is a related version with some extra features, such as a front microphone plug.

==External links==
{{Commons category|MCU-2/P Protective Mask}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20051123151056/http://www.dcfp.navy.mil/cbrd/ip/mcu2ap.htm MCU-2A/P Protective Mask]
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20060209105751/http://www.afcesa.af.mil/userdocuments/periodicals/agrams/2003/Agram%2003-01.pdf]([[PDF]])

{{DEFAULTSORT:Mcu-2 P Protective Mask}}
{{Gas masks}}
[[Category:Gas masks of the United States]]
[[Category:Military equipment introduced in the 1980s]]
{{US-mil-stub}}