VPKhR Case Exterior

The VPKhR is contained within an olive green metal carrying case.  This case uses an adjustable canvas sling so that it can be carried conveniently by soldiers in the field.

The case is secured by means of a simple latch found on the upper front of the case.

A small metal spoon is also attached to the outside of the case.  It is used for gathering soil samples which are to be tested by the operator.

Once the case is opened it will unfold into a bottom tray and a top tray.  The bottom tray holds the instruction manuals, laminated cards, and the heating unit (black cylinder at the bottom right of the picture below).

The upper tray can be seen at right.  The front of the upper tray holds three sets of chemical indicator tubes (at left), the flashlight (center), and up to fifteen heating elements (at right).  These elements are color coded black and pink.

The back of the upper tray holds additional supplies that can be reached by folding the three foreground items down.  This will reveal a set of plastic caps, fabric strips for testing, and a handful of cotton that is used in the heating unit.

The plastic air deflectors and fabric filters are at the top of the kit.  Below them is the head of the pump used to take sample readings.  The cylinder at the bottom of the kit contains the hand pump itself, but it is only accessible from the outside of the case.

The VPKhR comes with several pieces of paperwork.  These can be found in the bottom section of the kit when it is opened.  The most important of these is the primary instruction manual (shown at right) printed by the USSR Ministry of Defense.  This 74 page paper booklet contains the instructions for using and maintaining the VPKhR unit.  It is small and only measures 10cm x 12.5 cm (3.9 inches by 4.9 inches).

The two laminated cards below are found in a slot at the front of the bottom portion of the case.  These give basic instruction on how to use the device under field conditions.  They measure 17cm by 7.5 cm (6.7 inches by 3.0 inches).

The final paper included in the VPKhR set is the packing/inspection sheet.  This lists the contents of the case and the date of inspection.  This example was packed and inspected in June of 1967.

The heart of the VPKhR are the indicator tubes and hand pump system.  The indicator tubes are packed in three groups of ten and are found in the front of the upper tray of the kit.

The packages of tubes are mounted to the case floor on a bracket that allows them to move back and forth.  The label with the single RED line and dot is for the indicator tubes that detect Sarin, Soman, and V-series nerve agents.  The label with a single YELLOW line is for indicator tubes that detect mustard agents.  While the label with three GREEN lines is for tubes that detect phosgene, hydrogen cyanide, and cyanogen chloride.

To the right you can see how the packages appear within the case, while the picture below shows what the indicator tubes look like when the package is opened.

At temperatures below 15 degrees Centigrade the VPKhR uses a chemical heater to enable accurate sample gathering.  This heater is composed of a black plastic cylinder (seen at right) filled with cotton wadding.  The top has four holes to hold three indicator tubes and one large hole in the center for the heating element.  The heater is activated by piercing the heating ampoule (seen below) with the sharpened plunger (the white handled object attached to the heating element at right).  The heater operates by a heat producing chemical reaction that heats the sample for about one minute.

Before use, the cotton wadding found in the upper tray is placed inside the heater.  The top of the heater is then replaced and the indicator tubes loaded.  When the heating element is pierced, the cotton acts as an insulator so the heater will not lose the heat it generates.

The detection element of the VPKhR is a two part pump that is used to force air over the liquid in the indicator tubes.  The handle to this pump assembly is located in the side of the main case where it is held in place by a small retaining clip (see below).  Once removed from the case, the handle is then fixed to the sample chamber which is found in the middle section of the upper portion of the main case.

At the end of the sample chamber is an air deflector and filter that are used to prevent any smoke in the air from interfering with the accuracy of the reading.

The completed detector assembly is then pumped to force air over the fluid within the indicator tube (which by now has filled the sample chamber).  Any color change will indicate the possible presence of a chemical agent.

Placed in the center of the kit between the heating elements and the indicator tubes is the flashlight.

It is fixed to the case and can only be swiveled forward and backwards.  This prevents the light from being lost while still allowing enough tactical flexibility for night readings.

To turn the light on or off the cap is moved to the left or right.  It uses a single battery.