World First Infantry Helmet That Fully Protects Head

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World armies keep developing new personal gear in order to increase the survivability of the soldier at the battlefield. After 9/11 and the invasion of Iraq, it became clear that while soldiers had excellent protection against injuries to the chest and cranium, the face and jaw was still vulnerable — a problem magnified by improvised explosive devices that often exploded directly underneath a soldier riding in a vehicle.

To solve this problem, the U.S. Army has been testing a new helmet designed to offer full ballistic protection to a soldier’s entire head. The Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS) protects a soldier’s entire head, including for the first time the face and jaw, from injury. The helmet, developed by 3M subsidiary Ceradyne Systems, is scheduled to head to the troops during 2018.

The new helmet is just part of a six-part system, Soldier Protection Systems, which aims to protect a soldier’s eyes, head, torso, and pelvic region. IHPS was worn by U.S. paratroopers during an airborne exercise in 2017.

The Integrated Head Protection System is the first U.S. Army infantry helmet that fully protects a soldier’s head, according to popularmechanics.com. In addition to standard cranial protection, the IHPS includes a mandible, visor, night vision goggle attachment device, rails and a modular ballistic applique.

The helmet offers increased blunt impact protection over the current ECH Army helmet. It is five percent lighter, offers passive hearing protection, and can reportedly gauge head trauma suffered by the wearer.