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British soldiers to be equipped with state-of-the-art battle helmets that give them a Stormtrooper look | Daily Mail Online
By David Williams And Larisa Brown For The Daily Mail
Published: 01:07 GMT, 31 January 2015 | Updated: 01:24 GMT, 31 January 2015
It may look more like something out of the Star Wars films - but this is the new face of the British infantryman.
The revolutionary robotic anti-ballistic helmet weighing under 3lbs provides unprecedented protection for soldiers and will be in service on the battlefields for UK troops this September.
It replaces the old ‘pudding bowl’ style helmet and will feature a mouth protector and ear protection to shield the user from explosions while allowing human voices to be heard clearly.
A video camera capable of sending images from the frontline back to commanders, allowing them to monitor tactics and powerful torches, feature on either side.
The development of the helmet over four years of trials comes after greater protection of the head and neck was made a priority following the high level of injuries sustained during more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan, and before that Iraq.
More than 5,000 soldiers sustained injuries in Afghanistan’s Helmand province where British forces bore the brunt of regular attack by the Taliban.
While there is no exact figure for those with head and face injuries, medical staff reported that IED blasts often caused neck, jaw and head injuries as the vehicles sustained the massive blast impact.
The new Viper engineered plastic helmet was made by Canadian based Revision and is part of a £30 million contract with an Israeli defence contractor Source Vagabond to supply 9,000 helmets to the British Army and the Royal Marines over the next three years.
Alex Hooper, Vice President of global sales for Revision Military, described the new kit as ‘Gucci for the military’.
He said: ‘We are trying to make it sexy as more often than not soldiers want sexy kit.'
He added: ‘They want to look increasingly cool and the helmet becomes part of that. Soldiers are very fussy.
‘Our helmet has been described as Gucci for the military as it has come on leaps and bounds from the kit that was being used before.’
Colonel Martin Newman, a spokesman for Revision, which played a key role in the helmet’s development, added: ‘The soldiers would describe this kit as Gucci.’
But Mr Hooper explained that while the kit had to look good it also had to be ‘soldier proof’.
The state-of-the-art headgear will be worn eventually by all troops, has an integrated radio and has been designed to give greater protection to the soldier’s head and the jaw with a special face bar fitted to the sides of the helmet.
Major General Paul Jaques, the Director of Defence Equipment and Support, said: ‘We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces by providing them with a high standard of equipment and this new personal protection and load carriage system meets that requirement.’
Two years after Operation Herrick, the mission in Helmand, began a new helmet was introduced in a bid to increase protection, but a plan to procure a Special Forces style ’moulded ballistic’ helmet was dismissed on cost grounds.
There have been concerns too that the size of the new helmets may impact on the effectiveness of snipers in ‘low profile’ firing positions. Significantly, the jaw protector on the helmet can be detached, if necessary, by the marksman.
It is hoped that the new improved helmet will go some way to meeting the concerns of soldiers over what they said in both Iraq and Afghanistan was inferior equipment to their American counterparts.
Glasses have also been purchased with the helmets that can protect soldiers from repeated shotgun blasts at five metres as well as sand storms in the desert.
They can be squashed into the palm of a hand or folded away in a pocket.
Thousands of pairs of goggles which seal around the face to protect from sand and dust that are anti-ballistic, have anti-fog technology, and an anti-scratch lens coating with holes for ventilation.
Both sets of eyewear are able to hold prescription glasses as well as including interchangeable lenses – dark ones to shield eyes from the sun during the day and clear lenses for the night.
In 2003, it was reported that more than half of the soldiers in the British Army had bought their own kit because they believed the standard-issue uniform was inadequate.
Some 55 per cent of troops and 42 per cent of officers said they had to pay mail-order services or army-surplus stores out of their own pockets.
They mainly bought boots, combat trousers, jackets, sleeping bags, torches, head protection and load-carrying equipment including day sacks and chest-webbing.
By David Williams And Larisa Brown For The Daily Mail
Published: 01:07 GMT, 31 January 2015 | Updated: 01:24 GMT, 31 January 2015
It may look more like something out of the Star Wars films - but this is the new face of the British infantryman.
The revolutionary robotic anti-ballistic helmet weighing under 3lbs provides unprecedented protection for soldiers and will be in service on the battlefields for UK troops this September.
It replaces the old ‘pudding bowl’ style helmet and will feature a mouth protector and ear protection to shield the user from explosions while allowing human voices to be heard clearly.
A video camera capable of sending images from the frontline back to commanders, allowing them to monitor tactics and powerful torches, feature on either side.
The development of the helmet over four years of trials comes after greater protection of the head and neck was made a priority following the high level of injuries sustained during more than a decade of combat in Afghanistan, and before that Iraq.
More than 5,000 soldiers sustained injuries in Afghanistan’s Helmand province where British forces bore the brunt of regular attack by the Taliban.
While there is no exact figure for those with head and face injuries, medical staff reported that IED blasts often caused neck, jaw and head injuries as the vehicles sustained the massive blast impact.
The new Viper engineered plastic helmet was made by Canadian based Revision and is part of a £30 million contract with an Israeli defence contractor Source Vagabond to supply 9,000 helmets to the British Army and the Royal Marines over the next three years.
Alex Hooper, Vice President of global sales for Revision Military, described the new kit as ‘Gucci for the military’.
He said: ‘We are trying to make it sexy as more often than not soldiers want sexy kit.'
He added: ‘They want to look increasingly cool and the helmet becomes part of that. Soldiers are very fussy.
‘Our helmet has been described as Gucci for the military as it has come on leaps and bounds from the kit that was being used before.’
Colonel Martin Newman, a spokesman for Revision, which played a key role in the helmet’s development, added: ‘The soldiers would describe this kit as Gucci.’
But Mr Hooper explained that while the kit had to look good it also had to be ‘soldier proof’.
The state-of-the-art headgear will be worn eventually by all troops, has an integrated radio and has been designed to give greater protection to the soldier’s head and the jaw with a special face bar fitted to the sides of the helmet.
Major General Paul Jaques, the Director of Defence Equipment and Support, said: ‘We are committed to supporting the Armed Forces by providing them with a high standard of equipment and this new personal protection and load carriage system meets that requirement.’
Two years after Operation Herrick, the mission in Helmand, began a new helmet was introduced in a bid to increase protection, but a plan to procure a Special Forces style ’moulded ballistic’ helmet was dismissed on cost grounds.
There have been concerns too that the size of the new helmets may impact on the effectiveness of snipers in ‘low profile’ firing positions. Significantly, the jaw protector on the helmet can be detached, if necessary, by the marksman.
It is hoped that the new improved helmet will go some way to meeting the concerns of soldiers over what they said in both Iraq and Afghanistan was inferior equipment to their American counterparts.
Glasses have also been purchased with the helmets that can protect soldiers from repeated shotgun blasts at five metres as well as sand storms in the desert.
They can be squashed into the palm of a hand or folded away in a pocket.
Thousands of pairs of goggles which seal around the face to protect from sand and dust that are anti-ballistic, have anti-fog technology, and an anti-scratch lens coating with holes for ventilation.
Both sets of eyewear are able to hold prescription glasses as well as including interchangeable lenses – dark ones to shield eyes from the sun during the day and clear lenses for the night.
In 2003, it was reported that more than half of the soldiers in the British Army had bought their own kit because they believed the standard-issue uniform was inadequate.
Some 55 per cent of troops and 42 per cent of officers said they had to pay mail-order services or army-surplus stores out of their own pockets.
They mainly bought boots, combat trousers, jackets, sleeping bags, torches, head protection and load-carrying equipment including day sacks and chest-webbing.
Our soldiers also need full-body bulletproofing 
