Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/861022
The Martinsville, Idiana based MTEK company (formerly MTEK Weapons Systems) is an experienced player on the market of advanced ballistic protection solutions. Some of the readers may remember its most famous products, i.e. the G4 Mandibles, maxillofacial protection system, which have been quite popular among Allied vehicle gunners in GWOT. In 2014, the company decided to make use of the knowledge and experience gained in production of ballistic protection systems and launch totally new product, which was the line of FLUX helmets and headgear. The first presentation took place in 2015, but the serial production was launched a bit later. Officially, FLUX entered the market in 2016 – MTEK needed some time to develop the final version of the new helmets family. Currently, the MTEK line up consists of FLUX Ballistic helmet and two models of bump helmets: FLUX Carbon-V (Vented, with vent holes and Carbon-S (Solid, with monolithic shell). Yes, you are right – such systems have been available on the market for some time, so what makes the MTEK helmets different and innovative? In this article, I will focus on the MTEK FLUX Carbon-V bump helmet that was designed as a lightweight non-ballistic head protection solution providing highest level of safety and protection against impact and crushing. It is an excellent alternative for ballistic helmets where protection against bullets and fragments is not the priority, but there is still the need for protection against impacts, e.g. during VBSS, maritime and high-angle operations or when you need a stable platform for night vision devices. DESIGN The basic element of FLUX Carbon-V bump helmet is the monolithic shell made of compressed carbon fiber. It features high resistance to impact and crushing, has a high-cut around the ears that enables various types of hearing protection and comms systems plus under-cut in the back area, so that the helmet does not prevent the user from raising his or hear head up and does not collide with backpacks or high collars of ballistic vests. The final shape of the shell is a result of many tests that were conducted in order to find the perfect www.fragoutmag.com