New Helmet Pads Provide Better Fit, More Comfort

PEO Soldier introduces one-inch helmet pads to the Army equipment inventory in an effort to provide a better fitting Army Combat Helmet (ACH) .

Three-quarter inch pads are currently standard issue with ACHs. The standard number of pads is seven pads for sizes S-XL and nine pads for size XXL. One inch pads may now be substituted for the three-quarter inch pads as another option of properly fitting a helmet for Soldiers having issues with proper fit  (if the helmet rocks back and forth and is not stable, if the helmet is too low on brow, if the helmet is not compatible with eye-wear, etc.) If Soldiers experience hot spots or discomfort with the helmet using three-quarter inch pads, the one inch pad offers a solution.

Soldiers may substitute one-inch pads where gaps are felt between the pad and the head if a snug fit is not achieved using three-quarter inch pads.  The Central Issuing Facility can issue the new pad following helmet fitting.

If the helmet is too low on the brow, not compatible with eye-wear or if Soldiers experience hot spots or discomfort, they can rearrange the pad system to accommodate a more comfortable fit.  Soldiers can also substitute pairs of one inch oblong/oval pads or individual trapezoidal front and/or rear pads or try another helmet to alleviate discomfort.

It is important to note the oblong/oval pads must be replaced in pairs to maintain stability, and the trapezoidal front and/or rear pad may be replaced individually.  Safety considerations require the crown pad to be available in one size only, the three-quarter-inch size, to ensure the helmet does not ride too high the head.

Changes are currently being incorporated in TM 10-8470-204-10 Technical Manual Operator’s Manual for Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH).

For those wishing to order one-inch pads, the following NSN numbers should be referenced:

NSN	Item Description	Size
8470-01-547-2802	Pad Oblong/Oval	8
8470-01-547-2795	Pad Trapezoidal	8

*Item will have 2 each pads.

Brain experts meet to further Soldier head protection

Photo credit PEO Soldier
The Advanced Combat Helmet is one of many pieces of protective gear fielded to Soldiers by Program Executive Office Soldier. The agency recently stood up Task Force Soldier Protection to help ensure Army standards and policies for procurement of Soldier protective gear -- including such things as body armor, helmets and eyewear -- are followed across the entire chain of agencies and organizations involved in fielding such equipment.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 17, 2011) -- Soldiers can have some of the same brain damage as boxers, according to one researcher who presented at the Soldier Protective Conference.
Dr. Ann McKee, a neural pathologist from Boston University, discussed her team's research into chronic traumatic encephalopathy, or CTE, during an Army conference set up to discuss ways to protect Soldiers' brains, Feb. 17.
McKee said CTE is a "progressive neurodegeneration" disorder and the symptoms have a slow "insidious onset" and tend to develop in mid-life. Symptoms include memory loss, "irritability, agitation, and a short fuse," she said. Boxers have shown particular susceptibility to CTE and have a particular form called "dementia pugilistica."
McKee presented slides that demonstrated human brain specimens that were both normal and affected by CTE. The normal brains, when specially prepared with a dye, appeared blue. The diseased brains were shrunken and atrophied, and when dyed, showed brown spots in key areas -- evidence of concentrated areas of hyperphosphorylated tau protein.
"There's very little hyperphosphorylated tau protein in the brain normally," she said.
The bulk of the 66 brains in her team's "brain bank" are boxers and football players who had experienced repeated blows to the head during their careers. But she did have in her collection the brains of five former Soldiers. The disease, CTE, is the result of repeated trauma to the head.
"This disease does develop in military veterans -- it really has been described in many different types of mild traumatic injury," McKee said. "It's less important how you get the injury, what's important is that you had repetitive injury.

"This is the challenge I think with any discussion about helmet and equipment, how do we protect the brain from the long-term damage we are seeing in these players and Soldiers?"
Dr. Dixie Hisley, of the Army Research Lab, presented information related to her team's efforts to find the most effective way to measure the impact on a Soldier's head when their Advanced Combat Helmet is struck by a bullet.
A video she presented showed the helmet stopping a bullet, but it deforms inside as it absorbs the momentum of the speeding projectile. Inside the helmet, a speeding bullet creates a "helmet backface deformation," or helmet BFD, that appears as a bulge that grows instantly inside the helmet near a Soldier's head.
The bulge can be three to four inches in diameter. But inside the helmet, there may be between 1/2 to 3/4 inch between the helmet and the Soldier's head.

"You can see we have a potential for a pretty good impact to a Soldier's head," Hisley said, going on to explain one hypothesis that says "helmet BFD acts more like the mechanical equivalent of a direct impact from a less-than-lethal projectile or blunt object.
"What we at the ARLS (Army Research Lab) would like to do is come up with the one to two experimental techniques that would allow us to replicate and measure this phenomenon very accurately."
Hisley explained her team's use of instrumented head forms to measure helmet BFD, as well as the use of digital image correlation. She said high-speed cameras can record the deformation as it happens, and measure how fast the deformation occurs. They pay particular attention to how the velocity of the expansion of the bulge changes as it grows and eventually comes into contact with a Soldier's head.
Maj. Jason Morneault, with Program Executive Office Soldier, protective equipment, discussed advancements in the Army's head protection for Soldiers. Currently, the Army uses the Advanced Combat Helmet. More than 1 million of the helmets have been fielded to Soldiers.
The next generation helmet, Morneault said, is now in "first article testing" -- part of the government's acquisition process. It's expected the Enhanced Combat Helmet will be available for Soldiers this fall.

He said the Enhanced Combat Helmet is made of a new material, different from the Advanced Combat Helmet, and is meant to provide 35 percent more fragmentation protection than the Advanced Combat Helmet, but he said it does better than that.
"We're seeing upwards to 50 percent better -- along with some small arms," he said.
The Enhanced Combat Helmet is slightly thicker than the Advanced Combat Helmet, but is also about four ounces lighter.
Also new is the second generation helmet sensor expected to be in the field by August. The sensor measures the head impact Soldiers experience in combat. The data collected from the sensors can be used to help develop better injury models "to better understand what's going on in IEDs and different blasts and blunt impact trauma we're seeing downrange."
Moreneault also discussed the competition to develop a different or better pad and suspension system for Soldier helmets.

 

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Ops-Core 2011 Catalogue

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We manufacture cutting-edge protective equipment that provides better performance and protection for today's soldier. Our current focus on eye, face and head protection is driven by unique designs provided by our sister company Artisent. When state-of-the-art concepts do not find a home with larger manufacturers, they come to us. Since we are a small business, we have the flexibility to provide custom solutions for specialty markets and elite customers who demand higher quality products that cannot be found anywhere else.

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Enhanced Combat Helmet to be fielded in fall

Photo credit Army file photo
The Advanced Combat Helmet, currently used in Iraq and Afghanistan, is scheduled to be replaced this fall with one that offers even more protection, the Enhanced Combat Helmet.

WASHINGTON (Army News Service, Feb. 4, 2011) -- The Army is looking at an improved combat helmet that surpasses the capabilities of what Soldiers are currently wearing in the field, and it may be available in the fall.
The new Enhanced Combat Helmet doesn't look much different than the Advanced Combat Helmet it's designed to replace, but the performance difference is huge, said Col. William Cole, project manager, Soldier Protection and Individual Equipment.

"If you hold them in your hand, you'd have a tough time telling the difference, other than the relative thickness," Cole said during a media roundtable Feb. 2 in the Pentagon. "The ECH is a little bit thicker, also about an ounce to four ounces lighter depending on the size. But it's really a huge leap ahead forward in terms of head protection capability."
During testing, he said, the helmets did so well that a new test system will need to be developed to evaluate their effectiveness at protecting a Soldier's head from fragments.
"The data we're getting from the prototypes going into the milestone was even better than we hoped," he said. "We had hoped for a 35-percent improvement over the ACH in terms of ballistic protection and it's way better than that."
With smaller fragments, the lab was unable to determine a "V50" rating -- that's a determination of what velocity is needed for 50 percent of fragments to penetrate a test material.
"In this case the test guns they had couldn't shoot fragments fast enough to penetrate the helmet," Cole said. "We don't know exactly what the V50 is, but we know it's better than anything we've seen before. We're going to have to build stronger test guns to figure out exactly how good it is."

The Army wants 200,000 of the helmets, though Cole said, "I'd be surprised if we stop at that number." It's expected fielding of the ECH will happen this fall and will align with the Army's Force Generation Model, though Cole said he hopes to accelerate fielding. The Marine Corps is a partner in development of the ECH and will also purchase the helmets.
"It potentially could mitigate some traumatic brain injuries -- we're seeing it has great potential," said Brig. Gen. Peter N. Fuller, the Program Executive Officer Soldier. "We're trying to work through getting that product accelerated."

Source

Armys Next-Gen Helmets For Troops

The U.S. Army’s next-gen helmets will offer high-tech communications, a heads-up-display and more ballistic protection…

The U.S Army is looking into new high-tech helmets that will feature state of the art communications, a heads-up-display and most importantly, more protection for troops on the battlefield.

With over 800 IEDs being found every month in Afghanistan, these make-shift bombs have literally become a soldier’s worst nightmare. And it’s not surprising; when an IED is detonated, it unleashes a shock-wave that travels around 1,000 feet per second, with a pressure of 100lbs per square inch.

These kinds of forces can easily cause brain damage, and while the Army’s standard-issue Kevlar combat helmet absorbs some of that force, it does not protect the face.

Research has shown that shockwaves still pass through the eyes, nose and mouth, and can still damage the brain. A software blast model developed by Institute of Technology aeronautical engineer Raúl Radovitzky and his colleagues, calculated that adding a face mask to a helmet could reduce the ballistic force by up to 80 percent.

One option already on the market, the Predator Facial Armor, does offer protection for the face, and it’s exactly that type of technology the Army wants to incorporate into its next-gen helmet.

Don Lee, the project officer of the “HEaDS-UP” Army Technology Objective, is currently developing shields for the face, as well as other helmet technologies, which they hope will be ready for review by 2013.

Another area where traditional helmets lack protection is support for the neck, movement and position of the head. Blasts often force soldiers off their feet, and this can jerk and twist the neck and head in ways that can and does cause damage.

That’s why other researchers are looking into customized shoulder harnesses to protect the head from being whipped forward, or side to side.

A similar technology is already utilized by NAS car drivers; however Army analysis shows that the system would be too restricting for troops.

Shawn Walsh and his team at the Army Research Lab are working on a design that won’t restrict movement, but will still offer the same kind of support. The team hopes to have a working model ready sometime later this year.

Although it may still be a few years before a next-gen helmet becomes standard-issue, it’s clear what the Army are working towards. Here’s a quick list of feature we can expect to find when they finally get deployed.

U.S. Army's Next-Gen Helmet Concept Drawing

Possible features of the U.S. Army’s next-gen helmets

Head up display – Would most likely by an updated version of the Land Warrior system. Inside the helmet is a transparent display where soldiers can view maps, track fellow soldiers and enemies and make use of computer-aided weapons sighting.

Communications – Special noise-reducing ear-buds could instantly reduce any noise louder than 85 decibels, this is considered a safe level for the ears. The ear-bud would also play incoming transmissions directly and covertly into the troop’s ear, and a microphone would relay outgoing transmissions to other troops in the network.

Face Shield and Integrated Mandible protection – As mentioned already, this would help deflect the shock-wave of the blast away from the eyes, nose and mouth.

Shoulder Mounted Exoskeleton - This would help reduce the added weight of a high-tech helmet. It would also prevent the head from being snapped or jerked side to side.

Radar System – In 2009 the Army announced that it was researching a helmet-mounted radar system that would provide a 360-degree field of view Moving Target Indicator. In other words, the system would be able to scan for, and warn the soldier of any threats lurking out of view.

DuPont launches Kevlar XP for hard armour applications

DuPont has launched a new product called Kevlar XP for Hard Armor to provide extra protection and extra performance in ballistic applications. The product is initially targeted at military and police helmet markets  and tactical plates used in ballistic protective vests.

According to DuPont, an Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) used by the U.S. military today can weigh almost four pounds and DuPont Kevlar XP for Hard Armor provides a half pound (0.5 lb.) reduction in weight, which is vital to operating in stressful physical environments where moving quickly and efficiently is critical to protecting soldiers and marines.

For other helmet and tactical plate designs, Kevlar XP for Hard Armor is said to be able to offer 20% higher ballistic performance and increased protection, without sacrificing other performance requirements.

“DuPont is committed to protecting people around the world through science-based innovations. One of our goals is to provide the U.S. military with new products that provide significantly better protection for soldiers so they can more effectively complete their missions,” said Thomas G. Powell, president, DuPont Protection Technologies. “The U.S. military was looking for a lighter weight helmet option and DuPont developed this new product in less than a year. Using our integrated science and more than 40 years of experience, we were able to offer a solution that not only addresses the military’s needs to ‘lighten the load,’ but also to better protect the lives of those who protect us.”

Developed under the Kevlar XP platform, the increased ballistic protection offered by Kevlar XP for Hard Armor makes the new system usable in a variety of ballistic applications, including but not limited to military, law enforcement and homeland security segments. The new product was developed at DuPont’s Armor Technology Center in Wilmington, where the company’s integrated science capability, focusing on the latest innovations in life protection technologies to design, produce and test prototypes of helmets and composite panels for helmet and vehicle armour applications.

Kevlar fibre has been a critical component of providing protection for the military in helmets, vests and vehicle armour for more than 30 years, and is widely used in the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) worn by U.S. troops today.

The patent-pending Kevlar XP for Hard Armor is a combination of DuPont Kevlar KM2 Plus fibre and a new thermoplastic resin that DuPont says creates an entire matrix system, improving upon the original Kevlar technology. Kevlar KM2 Plus, a precursor to Kevlar XP for hard armour, will be produced at DuPont’s new $500 million Kevlar facility currently under construction near Charleston, S.C. The site, which is expected to be fully operational by the beginning of 2012, will produce Kevlar fibres for the military, law enforcement and other industrial applications, and will help increase worldwide production of Kevlar by 25%.

Kevlar® XP™ H170 Datasheet

Corps still seeking stronger helmet

By Gina Cavallaro - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Sep 29, 2010

Hopes that a helmet capable of stopping rifle rounds would be deployed to Afghanistan by summer 2011 seem less plausible after Marine officials nixed at least one that was proven to stop 7.62mm ammunition in testing.

During testing, the round did not penetrate the helmet, but a resulting dent was so severe “that it would still, in all probability, be fatal,” said Commandant Gen. James Conway, who has been on a quest to give Marines a rifle-resistant helmet since he became the Corps’ top officer four years ago.

While officials at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va., believe that timeline is still viable, they caution that further testing will ultimately dictate a realistic fielding plan.

Developmental testing of the Enhanced Combat Helmet began in September 2009 with five designs from four vendors. All the designs failed to provide enough protection from bullets.

Full Article

PASGT and ACH Helmets

A How to Wear properly guide for PASGT and ACH military helmets with "correct" and "incorrect" photos.

Better armor, helmets expected soon

By Amy McCullough - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday Jun 9, 2010

Marines downrange could be wearing tougher, better fitting helmets and body armor by Spring 2011, a top acquisitions officer told members of the defense industry outside Washington on May 25.

The Enhanced Combat Helmet, which officials say will be capable of stopping a rifle round, should enter its next testing phase in the coming weeks, said Lt. Col. A.J. Pasagian, head of Infantry Combat Equipment at Marine Corps Systems Command in Quantico, Va. All five test models — made by four companies — failed to provide adequate protection from bullets, blunt force or both during initial tests conducted in September, but Pasagian said he is “cautiously optimistic” that upgraded models will prove more successful.

The new helmet, which will be fielded by the Army as well as the Corps, will provide at least 35 percent more protection against fragmentation and small-arms fire than existing Kevlar helmets, Pasagian said. With enemy snipers rivaling IEDs as the chief threat facing U.S. troops in combat, officials have said they want this new head gear to stop a 7.62mm round, the caliber of ammunition used in AK47 assault rifles favored by insurgents.

Marines in Afghanistan report that although enemy snipers usually work solo, “Taliban fire teams” have been known to ambush them, often with three insurgents firing simultaneously from different positions.

The Marine-led effort to develop the ECH has locked onto the possibilities of a durable, lightweight plastic known as ultrahigh molecular weight polyethylene, Pasagian said last summer. The material is used commercially in everything from artificial hip replacements to police body armor, he said.

For nearly three decades, Marines and soldiers have worn helmets made of DuPont’s Kevlar.

The new helmet’s shape will more closely resemble the Army Combat Helmet, offering less overall coverage to Marines but allowing for more situational awareness. The “majority of Marines” endorsed the change during testing because they said it allowed them to shoot, move and communicate more efficiently, Pasagian said.

Initial plans called for the Corps to purchase 38,500 new helmets early this year, but the test failures pushed that timeline back. Pasagian has said that all four companies — Mine Safety Appliances of Pittsburgh; Gentex Corp .of Carbondale, Pa.; BAE Systems Aerospace and Defense Group Inc. of Rockville, Md.; and Ceradyne Inc. of Costa Mesa, Calif. — had to make significant design improvements, but he declined to elaborate.

At least one of those companies will be ready to begin its second round of testing in the next month, Pasagain said. It’s unclear where the other companies stand.

If these developmental tests are successful, the Corps will conduct another round of user evaluations followed by one more set of tests to ensure the helmet is compatible with Marines’ other gear, such as helmet-mounted night-vision goggles.

Improved vests

At the same time, SysCom officials are working to field the Improved Modular Tactical Vest, a lighter and more comfortable alternative to their existing body armor. Production is slated to begin by the end of September, officials said, but it’s unclear exactly when they will end up downrange.

Marines have said for years that they want body armor that protects them from sniper fire and IEDs but isn’t so bulky it slows them down on the battlefield. Officials say the IMTV will meet those criteria.

The new vests will feature a larger opening at the neck and an improved cummerbund to prevent chaffing, Pasagian said, which has been a long-standing complaint from the field.

It also is expected to weigh less than the 32-pound Modular Tactical Vest, first introduced in 2006, although Pasagian declined to say what the difference will be.

“We’ve taken the best industry has to offer with the MTV. The IMTV comes with irrefutable knowledge, which we learned the hard way in a nine-year protracted war,” Pasagian said. “So when I say I’m confidant we’ve found the solution, I mean exactly that.”

Marines deploying to Afghanistan next year will be issued the IMTV and the lighter Scalable Plate Carrier. Commanders on the ground tailor body-armor requirements to threat levels in a specific area.

Source

Army Recalls 44,000 ACH Helmets

AF officials: Helmet recall affects thousands

By Bruce Rolfsen - Staff writer
Posted : Wednesday May 19, 2010 

The Air Force is recalling the combat helmet issued to thousands of deploying airmen because it was improperly made with defective materials.

ArmorSource LLC, formerly Rabintex USA LLC, manufactures the Advanced Combat Helmet, or ACH.

Air Force officials are still determining how many airmen have the helmet, according to spokesman Gary Strasburg, but the number is at least in the thousands based on figures from the Army, the service that fielded the helmet and uncovered the problems.

The Defense Logistics Agency distributed 24,000 of the helmets to the Air Force and Navy, and the Army ordered a recall for its 20,000 helmets — 2 percent of 1 million — in a servicewide message released last Friday. Soldiers were told to exchange their helmets through unit central issue operations.

“There is evidence that ArmorSource and Rabintex ACHs were produced using unauthorized manufacturing practices, defective materials and improper quality procedures which could potentially reduce ballistic and fragmentation protection,” the message read.

The exact risk to airmen, soldiers and sailors wearing the helmets is still being determined, but sample testing from a quarantined inventory showed it did not meet Army specifications.

The Army could not say where all the helmets are but suspect some of them are in the war zones, spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings said.

“No one has gotten hurt that we know of,” Cummings said. “We have sufficient numbers of helmets by other manufacturers in the Army’s inventory, and they are being issued to soldiers worldwide and units that are in possession of the recalled helmets.”

The Army would not comment on how it found out about the helmets and is unsure how long the helmets have been in the inventory.

The Army, Air Force and Navy adopted the helmet in 2002 to replace the Personal Armor System for Ground Troops helmet. The ACH weighs about 3 pounds in size medium and is designed to protect airmen from fragmentation and 9mm ammunition.

Three other companies manufacture the ACH — Gentex Corp., BAE Systems and MSA.

ArmorSource is based in Hebron, Ohio.

The manufacturer’s label is on the inside of the helmet and may be covered up by pads that can be removed.

If the label is unreadable, airmen should identify the manufacturer using the retention system hardware, the Army said.

“If the hardware matches figure 13, WP 0002-14 of the ACH operator’s manual, the helmet is an ArmorSource or Rabintex and must be turned in,” according to the message.

Last year, the Army recalled 34,218 ACHs made by Gentex Corp. because the company told the Army it believed the four screws attaching the chinstrap and related parts did not conform to contract specifications.

The screws failed the ballistics tests at temperatures of 60 degrees below Fahrenheit and 160 degrees above Fahrenheit. In those extreme conditions, rounds were fired directly at the screw heads. Gentex alleged a subcontractor had falsified certificates of compliance related to the type of steel screws it furnished.

Army recalls 44,000 helmets

By Matthew Cox - Staff writer
Posted : Tuesday May 18, 2010

The Army is recalling 44,000 Advanced Combat Helmets amid concerns that they offer substandard ballistic protection.

Only 20,000 of those helmets have been issued to soldiers. The other 24,000 faulty ACHs were issued to the Navy and Air Force. All the helmets are made by ArmorSource LLC, formerly Rabintex USA LLC.

“There is evidence that ArmorSource and Rabintex ACHs were produced using unauthorized manufacturing practices, defective materials and improper quality procedures which could potentially reduce ballistic and fragmentation protection,” according to an All Army Activities message released May 14.

The Army-wide message orders an immediate inspection of all ACHs and the “immediate direct exchange of those ACHs manufactured by ArmorSource and Rabintex” through unit central issue facilities.

The exact risk to soldiers wearing the recalled helmets is still being determined, the Army said.

However, sample testing from a quarantined inventory revealed that the helmets did not meet Army specifications.

The matter is under investigation by the U.S. Department of Justice, according to the Army.

Army officials could not say where all the faulty helmets are, but it’s likely that some of them are in the war zone, Army spokesman Lt. Col. Jimmie Cummings said.

“No one has gotten hurt that we know of,” Cummings said. “We have sufficient numbers of helmets by other manufacturers in the Army’s inventory, and they are being issued to soldiers worldwide and units that are in possession of the recalled helmets.”

The Army recall constitutes 4 percent of 1.6 million ACHs in the Army’s inventory. The 44,000 helmets from ArmorSource are part of a 2006 contract for 102,000 helmets. The company had delivered 99,000 of the helmets when the Army complained of chipped paint. While only cosmetic, the Army considered the chipped paint a breach of contract and terminated the deal with the company in February.

Of the 99,000 ACHs, 44,000 were fielded and 55,000 are in storage. The Army is working with the Air Force and Navy to recall the 24,000 ACHs the two services received, Army officials said.

The service adopted the ACH in 2002 to replace the Personal Armor System for Ground Troops helmet. The ACH weighs about 3 pounds in size medium and is designed to protect soldiers from fragmentation and 9mm ammunition.

Currently, three other companies manufacture the ACH — Gentex Corporation, BAE Systems and MSA.

ArmorSource is based in Hebron, Ohio.

The manufacturer’s label is located on the inside of the helmet. Soldiers may have to remove one or more of the ACH pads to expose the label.

“If the manufacturer’s label is unreadable, the retention system hardware will be used to identify the manufacture,” the message states. “If the hardware matches figure 13, WP 0002-14 of the ACH operator’s manual, the helmet is an ArmorSource or Rabintex and must be turned in.”

The Army recalled 34,218 ACHs in May 2009. The company that manufactured the recalled helmets, Gentex Corp., told the Army it believed the four screws which attach the chinstrap and related parts to the helmet did not conform to Army contract specifications.

The screws failed the ballistics tests at temperatures of minus-60 degrees Fahrenheit and at temperatures above 160 degrees Fahrenheit. In those extreme conditions, rounds were fired directly at the screw heads. Gentex alleged a subcontractor had falsified certificates of compliance related to the type of steel screws it furnished.

Army and the Marine Corps are working on the Enhanced Combat Helmet, a new generation of helmet made of a high-tech plastic rather than Kevlar.

But the program, which relies on “ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene” instead of ballistic fibers such as Kevlar and Twaron, suffered a setback in January when all five of the test helmet models, made by four companies, failed in either ballistic or non-ballistic testing. The non-ballistic tests examined the impact of blunt force trauma to the helmets from blast waves, rolled-over vehicles and fragmentation.

The Marine Corps-led ECH effort began in 2007 when the industry presented samples of the highly durable, lightweight ballistic materials capable of stopping rifle rounds.

The Army’s initial requirement for combat brigades is 200,000 ECHs, but ultimately the service wants to issue one to every soldier.

HOW TO CHECK YOUR HELMET

Here’s how to see if your helmet is included in the recall. If the manufacturer’s label is unreadable, retention system hardware will be used to identify the manufacturer, according to the Army’s recall message.

If the hardware matches figure 13, WP 0002-14 of the Advanced Combat Helmet operator’s manual, the helmet is an ArmorSource or Rabintex and must be turned in, the message states.

 

THE ADVANCED COMBAT HELMET

PEO Soldier fielded the Advanced Combat Helmet beginning in 2003 because it was lighter than the traditional Kevlar helmet, fit better and did not disrupt hearing.

Sizes: Small, medium, large, X-large and XX-large

Weight: 2.93 pounds to 3.77 pounds

Material: The helmet shell is made of Aramid fabric. The edge is finished with a rubber trim.

Features:

• Cotton/polyester chin straps and webbing. The chin strap has a four-point design allowing for quick adjustment.

• Polyurethane foam pads on a suspension system designed to protect the soldier from blunt-force trauma.

• Neck Ballistic Protective Pad adds protection between the bottom of the helmet shell and the top of the Interceptor Body Armor collar.