Combat helmet: Difference between revisions

Example of a modern combat helmet (British Mk 6 with cloth cover)

A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of helmet, a piece of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat.

History

Helmets are among the oldest forms of personal protective equipment and are known to have been worn by the Akkadians/Sumerians in the 23rd century BC, Mycenaean Greeks since the 17th century BC, the Assyrians around 900 BC, ancient Greeks and Romans, throughout the Middle Ages, and up to the end of the 17th century by many combatants. Their materials and construction became more advanced as weapons became more and more powerful. Initially constructed from leather and brass, and then bronze and iron during the Bronze and Iron Ages, they soon came to be made entirely from forged steel in many societies after about 950 AD. At that time, they were purely military equipment, protecting the head from cutting blows with swords, flying arrows, and low-velocity musketry.

Military use of helmets declined after 1670, and rifled firearms ended their use by foot soldiers after 1700 but the Napoleonic era saw ornate cavalry helmets reintroduced for cuirassiers and dragoons in some armies which continued to be used by French forces during World War I as late as 1915.

World War I and its increased use of artillery renewed the need for steel helmets, with the French Adrian helmet and the British Brodie helmet being the first modern steel helmets used on the battlefield, soon followed by the adoption of similar steel helmets, such as the Stahlhelm by the other warring nations. Such helmets offered protection for the head from shrapnel and fragments.

Today's militaries often use high quality helmets made of ballistic materials such as Kevlar and Twaron, which offer improved protection. Some helmets also have good non-ballistic protective qualities, against threats such as concussive shock waves from explosions.

Many of today’s combat helmets have been adapted for modern warfare requirements and upgraded with STANAG rails to act as a platform for mounting cameras, video cameras and VAS Shrouds for the mounting of night vision goggles (NVG) and monocular night vision devices (NVD).

Beginning in the early 20th century, combat helmets have often been equipped with helmet covers to offer greater camouflage. There have been two main types of covers—mesh nets were earlier widely used, but most modern combat helmets use camouflage cloth covers instead.

By the late 20th century, starting in the 1970s and 1980s, new materials such as Kevlar and Twaron began replacing steel as the primary material for combat helmets, in an effort to improve weight, ballistics protection, and protection against head injuries caused by blasts. This practice still continues into the 21st century, with further advancement and refinements in the fibers used, design and shape of the helmet, and increased modularity. Early helmet systems of this new design are the American PASGT, the Spanish MARTE, the Italian SEPT-2 PLUS, and British Mk6.

List of military helmets

1980-present

Model	Image	Origins	First Issued	Users	Notes
6B26		Russia			Part of Ratnik infantry system
6B27		Russia			Part of Ratnik infantry system
6B28		Russia			Part of Ratnik infantry system
6B7		Russia		Russian Army	This helmet and its variants are the standard-issue headgear of the Russian army, they also are replacing older helmets like the SSh-68; Part of Ratnik infantry system
6B7-1L		Russia		Russian Army and Russian Navy naval infantry	part of Ratnik infantry system
Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH)		United States	2002	US Army	Developed from the Modular Integrated Communications Helmet
BK-3 Helmet		Croatia		Bulgarian Army, Croatian Army	PASGT-style helmet with original PASGT suspension system. Further updated version of the BK-6.
BK-6 Helmet		Croatia		Croatian Army, Swedish Army, German Army, Kuwaiti Army, French Army, Singapore Army, Israel Army, Saudi Arabian Army, Polish Armed Forces, Australian Army, Turkish Armed Forces, Czech Army, Bulgarian Army, United Arab Emirates Army, Lithuanian Armed Forces, Mexican Army, Spanish Army, Pakistan Army, Malaysian Army, Saudi Arabian Army, Finnish Army, National Army of Colombia, Armed Forces of the Republic of Kazakhstan, Indonesian Army, Italian Army, Military of Hungary, Armed Forces of the Argentine Republic, People's Liberation Army and by the police forces of the following countries: Croatia, Turkey, UK, Spain, Republic of Macedonia, Egypt, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Colombia, Italy, Ukraine, by Argentina and by the UN demining committee.	PASGT-style helmet with original PASGT suspension system.
BK-6		Mexico		Mexican Army	Kevlar helmet, adopted in the 2000s (decade). used in conjunction supplementation role with the PASGT. - Imported helmet.
BK-ACH Helmet		Croatia		Croatian Army	ACH shape helmet, replacing PASGT shape Croatian BK-6
CABAL II		Argentina		Argentine Army Infantry	PASGT style ballistic helmet M-6 for Argentine Infantry Approved by CITEFA NIJ Level II according to the standards currently in stage R3B certified to MIL-Std 662 E. However it wasn´t issued in large scales.
Capacete Combate Ballistico (CCB)		Brazil		Brazilian Armed Forces	U.S PASGT-shape helmet in two versions: Polymer and Kevlar.
CG634		Canada	1997	Canadian Forces	Canadian variant of the French Gallet F2 [[SPECTRA helmet| similar to the U.S Military MICH 2000 helmet (in that it has no peak) but with the U.S PASGT/French F2 helmet suspension system. Issued in 1997.
Cobra Plus Combat Helmet		United States	2013	Danish Army and British Forces
Enhanced Combat Helmet (Australia)		Israel	2004 (Australia) 2009 (NZ)	Australian Defence Force, New Zealand Defence Force	The RBH 303AU model was made specially for the ADF, replacing the M91 PASGT helmet. MICH 2000 style helmet made by Rabintex, Israel Was adopted by NZDF from 2009-2019
Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH)		United States	2012		Designed as an upgrade to the Advanced Combat Helmet. Uses thermoplastics instead of ballistic fibers.
EXFIL Ballistic Helmet		United States	2016	Australian Defence Force	Tiered Combat Helmet (TCH) forms part of the Soldier Combat Ensemble and includes gun rails and night vison goggle mount.
Gefechtshelm Schuberth B826 (M92)		Germany	1992	Bundeswehr, Swiss Armed Forces, Dutch Army, Estonian Defence Forces, Czech Army, Danish Army, Norwegian Army -	PASGT type helmet
Gefechtshelm Schuberth B828 Airborne and B828 Tactical Cut		Germany		Limited use by the paratroops in Bundeswehr like Fallschirmjäger, Spezialisierte Kräfte des Heeres mit Erweiterter Grundbefähigung für Spezielle Operationen and Kommando Spezialkräfte (KSK) -	MICH 2000 and MICH 2001 type helmets
GK80		People's Republic of China		People's Liberation Army
GOLFO		Chile		Military of Chile	Chilean PASGT-derived helmet. The helmet is locally made by Baselli Hermanos S.A of kevlar and was introduced in 2000. It is capable of stopping a 9×19mm round at 310m.
Helm wz. 2005		Poland		Polish Armed Forces.	Supplementing the older Helm wz. 93 currently in use. Similar in size to the American Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH), similar look to the PASGT.
Helm wz. 93		Poland		Polish Armed Forces.	Being replaced by the Helm wz. 2005.
Hjälm 90		Sweden		Swedish Armed Forces
Hjelm Cato		Norway	Early 2000s	Norwegian Armed Forces	Similar to the Swedish Hjalm 90.
M/92 Komposiittikypärä (also known as K-92)		Finland		Finnish Defense Forces.	Gefechtshelm M92-style PASGT helmet but with U.S PASGT style suspension system. Replaced in the early 2000s (decade) by the M/02. PASGT-Hjelm style blend helmet
KASDA		Israel		Israel Defense Forces, Guatemalan Army
Kyung Chang Industry (KCI)		South Korea		Republic of Korea Armed Forces	PASGT type helmet
Kolpak 2		Russia		Russian army
Lightweight Helmet (LWH)		United States		United States Marine Corps	PASGT-style helmet with four-point retention strap system and velcro-attached head pad system.
M02 Composite Helmet		Finland		Finnish Defence Forces	Upgraded PASGT-style helmet, replacing the Gefechtshelm M92-style M/92 Komposiittikypärä helmet.
M76 paratrooper helmet		United Kingdom	1976	British Armed forces Paratroopers and Airborne units
M80 Helmet		Iraq	1980	Iraqi Army	Plastic and cloth copy of the M1 Helmet, Developed during Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Limited use on the modern Iraqi army.
M80/03 Helmet		Iraq	1980	Iraqi Army	Improved and stronger variant of the M80 helmet, this version has a distinct cover
M83 helmet		South Africa	1983	Paratroopers of the South African Army	Variant of the OR-201 helmet
M87		South Africa	1987	South African Army	Similar to U.S PASGT Kevlar helmet, replacing earlier Israeli-style helmet in use since the 1980s
M90 Helmet		Iraq			Another Iraqi copy of the M1 helmet, unlike the M80 helmet the M90 helmet is composed purely of plastic
M91 helmet		Australia		Australian Defence Force.	PASGT-style kevlar helmet. Was made by RBR Armour Systems Pty Ltd (Australia) introduced 1991. The Australian PASGT helmet was identical to the USA PASGT helmet with the exception of a 3-point chin strap, much like the chin strap of the German B826 Gefechsthelm. Was replaced in 2004 by the Israeli-made Australian Enhanced Combat helmet.
MARTE helmet		Spain	1985	Spanish Armed Forces, Spanish Navy Marines	Versions I to IV, MARTE IV Kevlar helmet currently used by the Spanish Armed Forces. Similar to the PASGT. MICH type helmet replacing it in the Navy Marines.
Mile Dragić M-05		Serbia	2005	Serbian Special Forces	MICH type helmet
Mile Dragić M-97		Serbia	1997	Serbian Army	PASGT type helmet
Mk. 6 Helmet		United Kingdom		British Armed Forces.	being replaced by the Mk. 7 Helmet
Mk. 7 Helmet		United Kingdom		British Armed Forces
MKH/PA-1		India		Indian Armed Forces	Kevlar helmet worn is a PASGT type helmet.
Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH)		United States		special operations - United States Army	Developed for special operations use and became the basis for the Advanced Combat Helmet
MPC-1		Slovenia			Variant of OR-201 helmet
NP Aerospace AC200/650		Greece		Special Forces unit of the Hellenic Army, Hellenic Navy and Hellenic Air Force]]	- Gefechshelm type helmet. - Hellenic Army, Navy and Air Force primarily use the PASGT
Ops-Core FAST Helmet		United States	2009	United States special operations, United States SWAT and Law Enforcement, German Bundeswehr, Norwegian Armed Forces, Australian Defence Force, Australian Federal Police and others.
OR-201		Israel	1976	Israel Defense Forces, Some units of Special forces of Indian Army, Irish Defence Force, Lebanon (Lebanese Forces, South Lebanon Army, Hezbollah, Lebanese Army), Honduran Army, Guatemalan Army, Peruvian Army, Romanian Army, Nicaragua (National Guard and Police), Portugal (Portuguese Marine Corps), South African Defence Force, Chilean Army (1st Parachutists Battalion "Pelantaru" (1º Batallón de Paracaidistas "Pelantaru")), Sri Lanka, and other countries.
PATKA		India		Indian Armed Forces	Indigenously built helmet. It can prevent 7.62mm AKM round
PASGT helmet		United States	1983	United States Military, Argentine Army, Mexican Army, New Zealand Defence Force	First issued in 1983 to replace the M1 helmet. Former kevlar helmet used by the United States Army, Marine Corps, Navy. Used by the USAF, but is being phased out by the ACH US Air Force. Adopted by the Mexican Armed Forces in the 1990s to replace the M1 helmet. Replaced the M1 helmet of the Argentine army and modified with padded interiors. US-made PASGT helmets (by UNICOR and Gentex) replaced the New Zealand M1 helmet and were in use until the adoption of the Australian ECH.
QGF02		People's Republic of China	1994	People's Liberation Army
QGF03		People's Republic of China	2005	People's Liberation Army
QGF11		People's Republic of China		People's Liberation Army
RBH303IE		Ireland		Irish Defence Force	Variant of the Enhanced Combat Helmet (Australia) helmet
Savar SVRH01		Turkey		Turkish Armed Forces and General Directorate of Security
Savar SVRH02		Turkey		Police Special Operation Department of the General Directorate of Security
Sistema Compositi SEPT-2 PLUS		Italy		Italian Armed Forces
Sistema Compositi SUPERUBOTT		Italy		Special Units (particularly GIS) of the Italian Law Enforcement community
F2 SPECTRA		France	1992	Danish Army, French Army, Canadian military, Austrian Army, Bangladesh Army, Malta Army, Royal Moroccan Army, Ukrainian Ground Forces, and United Nations peacekeeping forces	PASGT shape helmet produced by Gallet of France, introduced early 1990s. 'Spectra' is a brand-name of a type of resistant fibre, not the actual name of the helmet.
SSh-68		Soviet Union}	1968	Russian army, Afghanistan Army, Armenian Army, Azerbaijan Army, Belarus Army, Georgia Army, Moldovia Army, Nicaragua Army, Philippines (Army reservists), Syria Army, Ukraine Army, Uzbekistan Army, Vietnam Army	Steel helmet, being withdrawn from the Russian army, used in many other countries.
STSh-81		Soviet Union			Titanium helmet
Type 88 Helmet		Japan		JSDF	PASGT type helmet
Vz.53 helmet		Czechoslovakia

1914-1980

Model	Image	Origins	First issued	Users
1935/38 M. rohamsisak		Hungary	1935	Hungary, Finland
1950 M rohamsisak		Hungary	1950	Hungary
1970 M rohamsisak		Hungary	1970	Hungary
Adrian helmet		France	1915	used in France, Belgium, Russian Empire, Japan, Serbia, Yugoslavia, United States, Soviet Union, Irish Free State, Italy, Republic of China, Manchukuo, Peru, Romania, Mexico, Greece, Uruguay, Thailand,Brazil
Belgian M26/32		Belgium	1926	Belgium, Luxembourg
Brodie helmet		United Kingdom	1915	used in United Kingdom, Canada, United States (1917-1942), Australia, Republic of China, Estonia, Belgium, New Zealand, Sri Lanka, South Africa, India, the Netherlands, Portugal,Luxembourg, Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935-1944)
Bulgarian M36 Helmet		Bulgaria	1936	Bulgaria
Czechoslovakian Model 1932 Steel Helmet		Czechoslovakia	1932	Czechoslovakia
Danish M1923 Helmet		Denmark	1923	Denmark
Dutch M-28 helmet		Netherlands	1928	Netherlands, Romania
Greek M1934/39 (helmet)		Italy	1939	Greece
Hełm wz. 31		Poland	1931	Poland
Hełm wz. 50		Poland	1950	Poland
Hełm wz. 67		Poland	1967	Poland
Helmet Steel Airborne Troop		UK	1941	used in CAN, BEL, Rhodesia, UK
Irish M1928		Ireland	1928	Ireland
M1 helmet		United States	1941	USA, Mexico, Canada, Austria, Belgium, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, West Germany (1956-1992), Greece, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Spain, Turkey, Republic of China, Egypt, Iran, Iraq, South Korea, Philippines (1944-1991), Singapore, Saudi Arabia, Thailand, Australia, New Zealand (1960-2000), Guatemala, Argentina,Brazil, Chile, Peru, Venezuela, Uruguay, Republic of South Vietnam
M33 helmet		Italy	1934	Italy, Finland
M42 Duperite helmet		AUS	1942	Paratrooper helmet
M63 Staaldak		South Africa	1963	Rhodesia, South Africa
Mk III Turtle helmet		United Kingdom	1944	United Kingdom, Canada
Mº 44 E.T.A. de Paracaidista		Argentina	1944	used by Argentine Paratroopers
Modèle 1951		France	1951	France, South Vietnam, South Africa, Cambodia, , Lebanon, Israel, Portugal, Rhodesia
Norwegian M31		Norway	1931	Norway
Portuguese M1940		Portugal	1940	Portugal
RAC helmet		United Kingdom		United Kingdom, Belgium
Soviet helmets during World War II		Soviet Union		Soviet Union, People's Republic of China, North Korea, North Vietnam, Finland, Warsaw Pact
Spanish M1926, M1942 Modelo Z		Spain	1926	Spain
Stahlhelm		German Empire	1916	Weimar Republic, Nazi Germany, Turkey, Chile, Republic of China, China, Colombia, Argentina, Bolivia, Mexico, Irish Free State, Italy, Poland, Estonia, Finland, Latvia, Lithuania, Portugal, Spain, Afghanistan
Swedish M1926		Sweden	1926	Sweden
Swedish M1937		Sweden	1937	Sweden
Swiss M1918/40		Switzerland	1918	Switzerland, Argentina
Type 66 Helmet		Japan	1966	Variant of M1 Helmet used by some elements of the JSDF Ground Forces
Type 90		Japan	1931	Japan, Thailand, China

Medieval and early Modern

• 
  6th century Spangenhelm.
• 
  German great helm of the 12th or 13th century.
• 
  Italian bascinet from about 1400.
• 
  English sallet of the 15th century.
• 
  Japanese samurai helmet or kabuto; 15th or 16th century.
• 
  16th century Ottoman Zischagge.
• 
  French morion helmet, 17th century.
• 
  "Indian Helmet, Shield and Swords," a print by Day and Sons, London, c.1858
• 
  An early 19th century French officer's dragoon helmet.
• 
  17th century Safavid helmet (Safavid army).

Model	Origin	Users
Armet	15th century	Western Europeans.
Barbute	15th century	Italian states.
Bascinet	c. 1300	Europeans during the Hundred Years' War(1337 to 1453) amid the kingdoms of France, Aquitaine, Burgundy and England
Burgonet	c. 1600	Europeans, especially by militias of Poland & Switzerland
Capeline	late 16th century	Europeans during the 17th century, including the English Civil War in England & Thirty Years' War across the Holy Roman Empire
Cervelliere	late 13th century	Christian Europeans in Crusades during the 14th century
Close helmet	late 15th century	Western Europeans.
Dragoon helmet	late 18th century	France .
Enclosed helmet	late 12th century	Western Europeans.
Frog-mouth helm	c. 1600	Western Europeans.
Great helm	1189	Christian Europeans in Third Crusade; other Europeans until 1540
Hounskull	14th century	Western Europeans.
Kabuto	c. 1600	Samurai especially during the 17th century of the Edo-period Tokugawa shogunate in Medieval Japan.
Kettle hat	12th century	Common all over medieval Europe.
Morion	16th and early 17th centuries	Europeans (esp. associated with Spanish Conquistadores)
Nasal helmet	Early Middle Ages	Byzantine Empire, later common all over Europe.
Pickelhaube	1842	especially by Prussia & German Empire and other Europeans until 1918; revived for 2006 FIFA World Cup in Germany
Raupenhelm	c. 1800-1870	High crested leather helmet used primarily by Kingdom of Bavaria and Württemberg
Sallet	c. 1450	used in Northern Europe & Hungary until the mid-16th century
Secrete	17th century	Western Europeans
Spangenhelm	5th century	Central Asia, Near East & Europe; espec. by Scythians, Sarmatians, Persians, & Germans until 1000
Tarleton	c. 1770-1800	Crested, peaked leather helmet used by cavalry and light infantry by Great Britain, France and USA in the late 18th and early 19th centuries.
Qing parade helmet	after 1655 till 1911	China
Zischagge	c. 1600-1780	Originated in Ottoman Empire, used by the most of the Europe.

See also headgear listing within Components of medieval armour.

Ancient militaries

• 
  Mycenaean Greek boar tusk helmet, Mycenae, 14th century BCE
• 
  Ancient Greek bronze Corinthian helmet, c. 500 BCE, Staatliche Antikensammlungen (Inv. 4330)
• 
  Persian helmet (Sassanid army)
• 
  Roman legionary helmet or galea

Model	Origin	Users
Attic helmet		ancient Greeks
Boar's tusk helmet	17th century BCE	Mycenaean Greeks until 10th century BCE
Boeotian helmet		ancient Greek cavalry
Chalcidian helmet		ancient Greeks
Corinthian helmet		ancient Greeks
Disc and stud helmet	c. 400 BCE	ancient Illyrians & Adriatic Veneti until 167 BCE
Galea (helmet)		ancient Romans
Horned helmet	c. 1000 BCE	Celtic Europeans until 700 CE
Illyrian type helmet		ancient Greeks
Kegelhelm		ancient Greeks
Negau helmet		ancient Etruscans in Negau, Slovenia
Montefortino helmet		ancient Romans
Pilos		ancient Greeks
Pot helmet		ancient Illyrians
Phrygian/Thracian helmet	5th century BCE	ancient Greeks in Thrace, Dacia, Italia & Hellenistic Europe until c. 200 CE

Padding

Cushioning is used to negate concussive injuries. Researchers at the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory published a study in 2011 that concluded that the addition of an eighth of an inch/3 millimetres of cushion decreased the impact force to the skull by 24%.

External links

• Ballistic Helmets
• Modern military helmets