Army fielding new helmet that protects against small arms fire
Paratroopers with the 82nd Airborne Division received the Army’s newest helmet today, the first combat helmet capable of withstanding small arms fire without added protection.Get more news about Bulletproof Helmet,you can vist our website!
The Next Generation Integrated Head Protection System is a 3.27 pound helmet — in its large size — that may look identical to its predecessor, the Integrated Head Protection System, but offers another level of protection, officials told Army Times.
Starting today, 1st, 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams at the division will receive the new helmet, starting with 2,000 soldiers from 1st brigade.
The previous version of the IHPS was 5% lighter than the more widely fielded Advanced Combat Helmet, which is still in use across the Army. The older IHPS, which Program Executive Office-Soldier began fielding in 2018 to replace both the Advanced Combat Helmet and the Enhanced Combat Helmet for close combat units, provided better blunt force protection at a lighter weight than the older models.
“The (helmet) provides increased ballistic and fragmentation protection while reducing the weight required to previously reach this protection level by 40%,” said Maj. Matthew Nulk, assistant program manager of the Head Protection Team. “This is world-leading rifle threat protection we’re providing to our soldiers.”But its ballistic protection was still limited to pistol rounds and fragmentation. Soldiers could attach an applique, meanwhile, for small arms protection, but that accessory, which added 2.5 pounds to the system, proved too cumbersome and was rarely used, officials said.
Advances in polymers allowed designers to develop the next generation version of the helmet at the same weight but with greater protection, Alex De Groot, lead engineer for head protection at PEO Soldier, told Army Times.
Older helmets are made from materials called aramids, commonly known by the commercial name Kevlar, De Groot added. That hard, brittle material protects by disintegrating on impact. But polyethylene, the newer material being used, “acts like a catcher’s mitt,” De Groot said. The material deforms on impact, dissipating energy.
