Combat helmet

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,^[1][2] 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.^[3] 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^[3] 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.^[4]

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,^[5][6] soon followed by the adoption of similar steel helmets, such as the Stahlhelm^[7][8][9] 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 Aramid, which offer improved protection. Some helmets also have good non-ballistic protective qualities, against threats such as concussive shock waves from explosions.^[10][11]

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 aramid 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

Current

• 
  A Mk. 6 Helmet, issued to British military personnel from 1985.
• 
  A modern German Army Gefechtshelm
• 
  United States soldier wearing the standard issue Advanced Combat Helmet.
• 
  Ops-Core FAST helmet, showing modern battlefield accessories such as NVG mounts, communications gear and a helmet camera.

List

Model	Origins	Users
Ops-Core FAST	United States	Used by the United States special operations, United States SWAT and Law Enforcement, German Bundeswehr, Norwegian Armed Forces and others.
Ops-Core FAST High Cut Helmet	United States	Used by Australian and New Zealand Military and Law Enforcement personnel[12]
SPECTRA helmet	France	Used by the French Army, Austrian Army, Bangladesh Army, Danish Army, Malta Army, Royal Moroccan Army, Ukrainian Ground Forces, and United Nations peacekeeping forces[13]
Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH)	United States
Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH)	United States	Developed from the Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, the ACH is now the standard issue helmet of the US Army.[14][15][16]
Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH)	United States	Developed for special operations use by the United States Army, it became the basis for the Advanced Combat Helmet
Lightweight Helmet (LWH)	United States	Used by United States Marine Corps[17]
Mk. 6 Helmet	United Kingdom	Used by British Armed Forces.[18] being replaced by the Mk. 7 Helmet
Mk. 7 Helmet	United Kingdom	Used by British Armed forces
M76 paratrooper helmet	United Kingdom	Used by British Armed forces Paratroopers and Airborne forces.
BK-6 Helmet	Croatia	Used by the 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.[19]
BK-9 Helmet	Croatia	Used by the Croatian Army. Updated version of the BK-6.
BK-3 Helmet	Croatia	Used by the Croatian Army. Further updated version of the BK-6. Also used by Bulgaria.
Vz.53 helmet	Czechoslovakia	Produced in Czechoslovakia, used in many countries.
CCB	Brazil	Used by the Brazilian Armed Forces in two versions: Polymer and Kevlar.[20]
BK-3 Helmet	Bulgaria	Kevlar helmet worn by the Bulgarian Land Forces. Replacing the older steel M36 type C Helmet. - Similar to the Gefechshelm B826.
M91 Helmet	Australia	PASGT kevlar helmet used by the Australian Defense Force. Was made by RBR Armour Systems Pty Ltd (Australia.) Also made by Gentex USA. 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.
Enhanced Combat Helmet (RBH 303 AU)	Australia	MICH 2000 style helmet made by Rabintex, Israel[21] adopted by the Australian Defence Force in 2004, replacing the M91 PASGT helmet. Also in service with the New Zealand Defence Force since 2009.
CG634	Canada	Used by the Canadian Forces since 1998 - SPECTRA type helmet.[22][23]
M92 Helmet	Denmark	First kevlar helmet used by the Danish Armed Forces. - Imported SPECTRA helmet. Design later incorporated into the M/96.
Gron Helmet	Denmark	Early kevlar helmet used by the Danish Armed Forces while peacekeeping. - Imported Gefechtshelm B826.
M/96 Helmet	Denmark	Kevlar helmet used by the Danish Armed Forces. - SPECTRA type helmet. Might be replaced by ACH type helmet.
CABAL II	Argentina	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.[24] However it wasn´t issued in large scales.
PASGT helmet	United States	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[25] US Air Force.[26] 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.[27]
M1994	Norway	First Kevlar helmet adopted by the Norwegian Armed Forces. - Imported Gefechtshelm B826.
Hjelm Cato	Norway	Proprietary kevlar helmet adopted by the Norwegian Armed Forces in the early 2000s (decade). - Similar to the Swedish Hjalm 90.
GOLFO	Chile	Military of Chile, Similar to the PASGT.
GK80	People's Republic of China	People's Liberation Army
QGF03	People's Republic of China	People's Liberation Army
QGF02	People's Republic of China	People's Liberation Army
SSh-68	Soviet Union /  Russia	Steel helmet, being withdrawn from the Russian army, used in many other countries.
STSh-81	Soviet Union	Titanium helmet, used in some countries.
6B7	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army part of the Ratnik infantry system, this helmet and its variants are the standard-issue headgear of the Russian army, they also are replacing older helmets like the SSh-68
6B7-1L	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army and Naval Infantry Russia part of Ratnik infantry system
Kolpak 2	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army
6B27	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army part of Ratnik infantry system
6B28	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army part of Ratnik infantry system
6B26	Russia	Kevlar helmet Russian army part of Ratnik infantry system
OR-201	Israel	Kevlar helmet used by the 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.
KASDA	Israel	Kevlar helmet Israel Defense Forces, Guatemalan Army
Gefechtshelm Schuberth B828	Germany	Limitedly used by the paratroops in Bundeswehr like Fallschirmjäger, Spezialisierte Kräfte des Heeres mit Erweiterter Grundbefähigung für Spezielle Operationen and Kommando Spezialkräfte. - ACH type helmet.
Gefechtshelm Schuberth B826 (M92)	Germany	Used by the Bundeswehr, Swiss Armed Forces, Dutch Army, Estonian Defence Forces, Czech Army and other countries - PASGT type helmet.
NP Aerospace AC200/650	Greece	Kevlar helmet used by the Greek Special Forces. - Gefechshelm type helmet. - Hellenic Army, Navy and Air Force primarily use the PASGT.
Helm wz. 2005	Poland	Newer kevlar helmet used by the 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.
MARTE	Spain	Versions I to IV, MARTE IV Kevlar helmet currently used by the Spanish Armed Forces. - Similar to the PASGT. - Protec type helmet replacing it in the Spanish Navy Marines.
Sistema Compositi SEPT-2 PLUS	Italy	Kevlar helmet used by the Italian Armed Forces[28]
Sistema Compositi SUPERUBOTT	Italy	Used by Special Units (particularly GIS) of the Italian Law Enforcement community[29]
Savar SVRH01	Turkey	Used by the Turkish Armed Forces and General Directorate of Security
Savar SVRH02	Turkey	Used by the Police Special Operation Department of the General Directorate of Security
Tecnoplast TD-71	Italy	Used by the Italian Law Enforcement community for riot control[30]
Type 88 Helmet	Japan	Used by the JSDF - PASGT type helmet
M80 Helmet	Iraq	Plastic and cloth copy of the M1 Helmet, Developed during Saddam Hussein's Iraq, Limited use on the modern Iraqi army.
M90 Helmet	Iraq	Another Iraqi copy of the M1 helmet, unlike the M80 helmet the M90 helmet is composed purely of plastic.
M80/03 Helmet	Iraq	Improved and stronger variant of the M80 helmet, this version has a distinct cover.
BK-6	Mexico	Kevlar helmet, adopted in the 2000s (decade). used in conjunction supplementation role with the PASGT. - Imported helmet.
M83	South Africa	Variant of the OR-201 helmet used by Paratroopers of the South African Army
M87	South Africa	Kevlar helmet of the South African Army
Hjälm 90	Sweden	Kevlar helmet used by the Swedish Armed Forces
Helm wz. 93	Poland	Kevlar helmet Used by the Polish Armed Forces. - Being replaced by the Helm wz. 2005.[31]
K/92 Helmet	Finland	Kevlar helmet used by the Finnish Defense Forces. Replaced in the early 2000s (decade) by the M/02. - PASGT-Hjelm style blend helmet.
M/02 Composite Helmet	Finland	Used by the Finnish Defence Forces
MKH/PA-1	India	Kevlar helmet worm by the Indian Armed Forces.- PASGT type helmet.
PATKA	India	Indian Armed Forces. Indigenously built helmet. It can prevent 7.62mm AKM round.
RBH303IE	Ireland	Variant of the Enhanced Combat Helmet (Australia) helmet used by the Irish Defence Force
MPC-1	Slovenia	Variant of OR-201 helmet
Mile Dragić M-97	Serbia	Used by the Serbian Army - PASGT type helmet[32]
Mile Dragić M-05	Serbia	Used by Serbian Special Forces—MICH type helmet[33]
KCI	Republic of Korea	Kevlar helmet worn by the Republic of Korea Armed Forces. - PASGT type helmet.

World War I – Vietnam War

• 
  The French infantry M15 Adrian helmet was the first modern steel helmet.
• 
  German M16 Stahlhelm.
• 
  US Marine Corps M1917 (after the Brodie helmet).
• 
  Swiss Model 1918 helmet
• 
  A Soviet M36 helmet
• 
  A side view of a mid 20th century M1 helmet
• 
  The Mk III Turtle helmet used by British and Commonwealth forces from 1944

Model	Image	Origins	Issued	Users
Adrian helmet		France	1915	[4] used in  France,  Belgium, Japan,  Serbia,  Yugoslavia,  United States,  Soviet Union, Irish Free State,  Italy,  Republic of China,  Manchukuo,  Peru,  Romania,  Mexico,  Greece,  Uruguay,  Thailand, Brazil
Brodie helmet		United Kingdom	1915	used in  United Kingdom,  Canada,  United States (1917-1942),  Australia,[34]  Republic of China,  Estonia,  Belgium,  New Zealand,  South Africa,  India,  the Netherlands,  Portugal, Luxembourg,  Commonwealth of the Philippines (1935-1944)
Modèle 1951		France	1951	France,  South Vietnam,  South Africa,  Cambodia, ,  Lebanon,  Israel,  Portugal,  Rhodesia
Mk III Turtle helmet		United Kingdom	1944	United Kingdom,  Canada
Helmet Steel Airborne Troop		UK	1941	used in  CAN,  BEL,  Rhodesia,  UK
Mº 44 E.T.A. de Paracaidista		Argentina	1944	used by Argentine Paratroopers
M33 helmet		Italy	1934	Italy,  Finland
Bulgarian M36 Helmet		Bulgaria	1936	Bulgaria[35]
M42 Duperite helmet		AUS	1942	Paratrooper helmet
M63 Staaldak		South Africa	1963	Rhodesia,  South Africa
M1 helmet		United States	1941	USA,  Mexico,  Canada,[36]  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
Type 66 Helmet		Japan	1966	Variant of M1 Helmet used by some elements of the JSDF Ground Forces
RAC helmet		United Kingdom		United Kingdom,  Belgium
Dutch M-28 helmet		Netherlands	1928	Netherlands,  Romania
Danish M1923 Helmet		Denmark	1923	Denmark
Czechoslovakian Model 1932 Steel Helmet		Czechoslovakia	1932	Czechoslovakia
Soviet helmets during World War II		Soviet Union		Soviet Union,  People's Republic of China,  North Korea,  North Vietnam,  Finland, Warsaw Pact
Stahlhelm[7][8][9]		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
Hełm wz. 31		Poland	1931	Poland
Hełm radziecki wz. 40		Poland	1940	Poland
Hełm wz. 50		Poland	1950	Poland
Hełm wz. 67		Poland	1967	Poland
Swiss M1918/40		Switzerland	1918	Switzerland,  Argentina
1935/38 M. rohamsisak		Hungary	1935	Hungary,  Finland
1950 M rohamsisak		Hungary	1950	Hungary
1970 M rohamsisak		Hungary	1970	Hungary
Type 90		Japan		Japan,  Thailand,  China
Irish M1928		Ireland	1928	Ireland
Norwegian M31		Norway	1931	Norway
Swedish M1926		Sweden	1926	Sweden
Swedish M1937		Sweden	1937	Sweden
Greek M1934/39 (helmet)		Italy	1939	Greece
Belgian M26/32		Belgium	1926	Belgium,  Luxembourg
Portuguese M1940		Portugal	1940	Portugal
Spanish M1926, M1942 Modelo Z		Spain	1926	Spain

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.

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[37]	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[38]	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[7][8][9]	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[39]	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
• 
  17th century Safavid helmet (Safavid army)

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 of cushion decreased the impact force to the skull by 24%.^[41]

References

External links

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Military helmets.

• Ballistic Helmets
• Modern military helmets