Army Fields Next-Gen Combat Helmet

JUST IN: Army Fields Next-Gen Combat Helmet

Avon Protection

The Army Feb. 12 issued new next-generation combat helmets to 2,000 soldiers in the 82nd Airborne Division’s 1st Brigade Combat Team, the first unit equipped with the new helmet.

The Next-Generation Integrated Head Protection System, or NG-IHPS, is replacing the Army’s Integrated Head Protection System, the Advanced Combat Helmet and the Enhanced Combat Helmet. Compared to its predecessors, the new combat helmets — produced by Gentex Corporation and Avon Protection — provide increased ballistic and fragmentation protection, while also reducing weight by 40 percent, according to the Army.

“This fielding marks significant progress for Soldier protective equipment, as it equips soldiers with protection against relevant battlefield threats, and the innovative helmet design is a purpose-built platform for integration now and with future soldier-enabling devices,” said Lt. Col. Ken Elgort, product manager for soldier protective equipment at the Army’s Program Executive Office Soldier, in an Army press release.

The new helmet consists of a retention system, suspension system, helmet cover and  night vision device bracket, designed to integrate a mandible protector, hearing protection, communications and heads-up displays like the Integrated Visual Augmentation System and the Enhanced Night Vision Goggle-Binocular, according to the Army press release.

“The boltless retention system and night vision device bracket mount on without compromising the helmet’s structural integrity, thus increasing protection,” said Alex de Groot, lead engineer for the PEO Soldier’s Head Protection Team.

Avon Protection and Gentex Corporation’s indefinite delivery, indefinite quantity contract currently consists of 80,000 helmets, with further pending competitive orders to achieve the Army’s acquisition objective of 190,618 helmets. The duration of the award is March 2023 to September 2028, a PEO Soldier spokesperson said.

Right now, the helmet will be fielded to the close-combat force, and the mandible protector mounts will be fielded to 6 percent of the force operating in a mounted configuration.

PEO Soldier will also field the helmet to the 2nd and 3rd Brigade Combat Teams of the 82nd Airborne Division this quarter and will complete fielding to all close-combat force units over the next three years, but the Gen I Integrated Head Protection System will remain in service and will be cascaded back to units not in the close combat force, according to a PEO Soldier spokesperson.

Topics: Emerging Technologies