Frag Out! Magazine
Issue link: https://fragout.uberflip.com/i/958224
SHORTCOMINGS OF M1 The general disadvantages of M1 resulted from the assumptions adopted. The one size did not work well in the case of soldiers with smaller heads, since the cen- ter of gravity was pretty high, which resulted in discom- fort and generated quite high forces during rapid head movement. It was possible to lower the helmet but at the same time it would limit the field of view. Although the two-piece construction was justified due to ballistic pro- tection, it was problematic in situations when the helmet shell and the liner were made at the tolerance limit. Be- cause of that, the liner would either simply not fit firmly in the shell and protrude outside its edges or be too loosely fitted and would separate from the shell, when a soldier did not fasten the chinstrap. About 50% of the soldiers who participated in testing complained that the standard helmet is too heavy, unstable, and poorly fitted, which resulted from the high center of gravity and did not de- pend on the actual weight, efficiency of the suspension system, or size. DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM OF THE NEW INFAN- TRY HELMET IEngineers from US Army Natick Development Center (known as Natick Labs) decided that in order to elimi- nate the shortcomings of M1, it was necessary to de- sign a new helmet that would provide better ballis- tic protection than its predecessor and it would fit well and be comfortable for the soldiers. What is more, it was necessary to use the latest materials. It was important to have the helmet fit well to the soldier's head and cover as much of it as possi- ble, without limiting the field of view, audibility, or range of movements. The Army Department approved the new design for the infantry helmet and it was implemented in the Personnel Armor System program in April 1970. The R&D program included 29 tests. The basic issue was to prepare a mathematical model of the head and calculate the shape and dimensions of hel- mets of various size. The designers also analyzed the technical documentation of M1 as well as the solutions applied in other countries. Another major aspect was the ballistic protection, testing of new materials and meth- ods of producing them, as well as the analysis of dam- equipment