Posted on 02/17/2011 6:34:17 AM PST by ImJustAnotherOkie
Unbreakable The U.S. Army and Marine Corps have found that their new Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) is even more bullet proof than expected. While testing the ECH, it was discovered that the machine firing metal fragments at the ECH (to represent shell and bomb fragments) could not fire fragments fast enough to penetrate. The ECH was supposed to be invulnerable to pistol bullets, and it was, but some types of metal fragments were expected to still be dangerous. So ECH was tested to see how well it could resist high-powered rifle bullets. ECH was not 100 percent invulnerable, but in most cases, it would stop anything fired from a sniper rifle. Overall, it was calculated that the ECH was 40 percent more resistant to projectiles and 70 percent stronger than the current ACH helmet.
The ECH is made of a new thermoplastic material (UHMWP, or Ultra-High Molecular Weight Polyethylene). It is lighter and stronger than the Kevlar used in the ACH and earlier PASGT and, it turned out, provided much better protection as well. The ECH will begin replacing the current ACH later this year, with 200,000 being eventually purchased. The ECH costs $600 each, twice as much as the ACH. But for troops under fire, the additional cost is well worth the additional protection.
Combat helmets, which appear to be low-tech, have been anything-but over the last three decades. Advances in the design and construction of helmets have been accelerating, especially in the last decade. For example, the current ACH (Advanced Combat Helmet) recently underwent some tweaks to make it more stable. That was required because more troops are being equipped with a flip down (over one eye) transparent computer screen. The device is close to the eye, so it looks like a laptop computer display to the soldier, and can display maps, orders, troop locations or whatever. If the helmet jumps around too much, it's difficult for the solider to make out what's on the display. This can be dangerous in combat.
It was only six years ago that the ACH began entering service. The ACH completely replaced all the 1980s era PASGT (Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops) helmets four years ago. The Kevlar PASGT design was a third generation combat helmet, nicknamed the "Fritz" after its resemblance to the German helmets used in both World Wars. That German World War I design, which was based on an analysis of where troops were being hit by fragments and bullets in combat, was the most successful combat helmet in both world wars. This basic design was finally adopted by many other nations, after the American PASGT helmet appeared in the 1980s. Most of the second generation helmets, which appeared largely during World War II, were similar to the old American "steel pot" design, which lasted about 40 years. The fourth generation helmets, currently in service, use better synthetic materials and more comfortable design.
The PASGT came in five sizes, and weighed between 3.1 pounds (size Extra Small) to 4.2 pounds (size Extra Large). The ACH weighed a third less than the PASGT, and used a new type of Kevlar that provided more protection. The ACH can stop a 9mm bullet at close range, and rifle bullets at longer ranges. The ACH is smaller, and does not cover as much of the neck. This was important, because the newer protective vests (like the bullet-proof Interceptor) ride high on the back, thus becoming very uncomfortable when the soldier is prone and trying to fire his rifle. The ACH eliminates this problem. The ACH was first developed as a special project by the U.S. Army Special Forces, and was so successful that the rest of the army began buying them.
The first modern combat helmets appeared during World War I (1914-18), with the U.S. adopting the flat, British design steel model, and using it for 25 years. The PASGT lasted 25 years, but it looks like the ACH will be gone in less than ten, replaced by the ECH.
Inded. Awesome news. Better news would be that the DOD is getting these to the troops on the ground in FAST fashion.
What! No photos?
Hey, man, something this sexy REQUIRES pictures!
(”Sexy? Are you crazy?”)
Yea, sexy. I LIKE keeping my gourd in one piece, with no punctures. I need to keep what few brains I have from leaking out. That really turns me on!
(Gratuitous CZJ photos accepted in reply)
Mike
WOW!
I’m not sure if that belongs more on an X-Games wild & crazy skateboarder or on a Starship Trooper (book version, not movie)
Thanks for the photo!
Can they make a car out of that material?
Agreed, but can you wash out your socks in the new one, or use it for shaving?
UHMWPE new??? NOT!! It's been around for a LONG time. Maybe this is a new "type" of UHMWPE. Methinks there are details missing here.
Oh...I don’t know about that. I kind of liked wearing a helmet that bounced around when I ran and flopped over my eyes when I was trying to figure out where the bullets were coming from. It just seemed to make combat so much more entertaining!! ;)
for you, BwanaNdege. One... 
for me--
And one for big... 
as the thrill from the Super Bowl dies down and he gets back to normal.
If red X above go to http://thaiintelligentnews.files.wordpress.com/2010/10/sexy_military_girl.jpg
that was the first thing that popped into my mind. Second was plated body armor
And then cook armadillo stew in without rinsing it out?
Mike
Bet it’s quite a bit lighter than that old steel pot too
That old ceramic plate flak jacket was a bear to wear as well
Hope they get this new helment issued quickly to the troops
$600 seems a bit high,but I guess this is new tech
If you pull the pin on her belly button does she explode?
I couldn’t even keep one pond on my head... the fish would fall out!
Weigh the cost against rehab for traunatic brain injury or payment of survivors benefits and it will look dirt cheap!
traunatic = traumatic!!
I told him he should get with the times, “Who uses fire to boil water anymore, the new helmet is approved for use in a microwave.”
There was salt and pepper in my sleeping bag that night...I've never figured out why.
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