Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/1333129
Couple years back, when USSOCOM adopted the Ops- Core High Cut Ballistic Helmets as a standard issue hel- met, their ARC side accessory rails became an industry standard. Users quickly realized that their 3M/Peltor ComTac ACH headsets (ComTac III or XP as they are known in Europe) which were developed to work with MICH-style helmets will be more comfortable to wear for extended periods of time when attached to the side rails. Of course, the headband could be weaved between the shell and Occ-dial harness, but it was not comfortable. The 3M quickly developed a response to that need and introduced ARC-compatible P3ADG-F adapters which enabled to attach the headsets directly to the side ra- ils (both headband and neckband headsets). They were able to develop such a solution so quickly because 3M already had adapters for industry helmets in their port- folio. The adapters (known also as Peltor ARCs) quickly became popular as the difference in comfort was huge. If the headset was not in use, the user could just pop them out of ears for increased air flow or move it toward the rear. But the design of the adapters had also its li- mitations – the internal spring over time was losing the tension and there were also a couple incidents when, mostly during the forced entries with explosives, the blast and shockwave were pushing the muffs out of ears. The Ops-Core engineers (since 2012 part of Gentex Corp., a big player in the helmet and headset market) de- cided to combine their design experience in the area of headborne protectionsystems and the Gentex techno- logy potential to develop a new piece of their Ops-Core helmet system puzzle. They came up with a new head- set developed from the ground up to work with FAST helmets. Of course, success could allow them to grab a huge chunk of the hearing protection market dominated by 3M/Peltor and MSA/Sordin (at that time, now Sordin departed from MSA). www.fragoutmag.com