The Lightweight Helmet (LWH), also known as the Lightweight Marine Corps Helmet or Lightweight Marine Helmet, is an armored helmet that is used by the

United States Marine Corps The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for conducting expeditionary and amphibious operations through combi ...

and

U.S. Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage o ...

. It is the U.S. Marine Corps' replacement for the

PASGT Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT, pronounced ) is a combat helmet and ballistic vest that was used by the United States military from the early 1980s until the mid-2000s, when the helmet and vest were succeeded by the Lightweight ...

combat helmet A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of helmet. It is a piece of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat. Modern combat helmets are mainly designed to protect from shrapnel and fragments, offer some protec ...

and is derived from the

Modular Integrated Communications Helmet The Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH) is a U.S. combat helmet and one of several used by the U.S. military. It was developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center to be the next generation of protective combat helmets ...

History

As it is nearly identical to untrained eyes in shape to the PASGT, outside the Marine Corps it is still called the Fritz helmet or K-pot (due to its resemblance to the German

Stahlhelm The ''Stahlhelm'' () is a German military steel combat helmet intended to provide protection against shrapnel and fragments of grenades. The term ''Stahlhelm'' refers both to a generic steel helmet and more specifically to the distinctive Ger ...

). Though heavier than the

United States Army The United States Army (USA) is the land service branch of the United States Armed Forces. It is one of the eight U.S. uniformed services, and is designated as the Army of the United States in the U.S. Constitution.Article II, section 2, cla ...

Advanced Combat Helmet The Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) is the United States Army's current combat helmet, used since the early 2000s. It was developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center, the U.S. Army Special Operations Command, and the U.S. Army Researc ...

, its larger size also offers more protection and is lighter than the PASGT. Featuring a four-point retention strap system (compared to the two-point retention of the PASGT) and redesigned liner, it is considered more comfortable than the PASGT. The LWH was designed in 2003 and entered service later that year. It completely replaced the PASGT in USMC service by 2009. The LWH was made by the Gentex Corporation and BAE Systems in five sizes. From 2007 onward, pads were installed in the helmet to improve comfort for wearers. Whereas the PASGT helmet's shell is olive drab, the LWH's is coyote brown and can be fitted with cloth

helmet cover The helmet cover was first used by French soldiers during World War I. Helmet covers are usually made out of canvas or cotton and come in many camouflage designs, for example: woodland, desert or urban, and different camouflage patterns like MA ...

s, either originally made for the PASGT or more commonly those made for the LWH in desert and woodland

MARPAT MARPAT (short for Marine pattern) is a multi-scale camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, designed in 2001 and introduced from late 2002 to early 2005 with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform (MCCUU), which replaced ...

, as well as a mounting bracket on the front for any sort of night vision device, such as the

AN/PVS-7 The AN/PVS-7 is a single tube night vision device. Third generation image intensifiers are standard for military night vision. The PVS-7 is auto-gated to prevent image intensifier damage if exposed to intense light. The goggles have active night vis ...

night vision goggle A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The devi ...

AN/PVS-14 The AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night-vision device, Night Vision Device (MNVD) is in widespread use by the United States Armed Forces as well as NATO allies around the world. It uses a third generation image intensifier tube, and is primarily manufactured ...

monocular A monocular is a compact refracting telescope used to magnify images of distant objects, typically using an optical prism to ensure an erect image, instead of using relay lenses like most telescopic sights. The volume and weight of a monocul ...

night vision device A night-vision device (NVD), also known as a night optical/observation device (NOD), night-vision goggle (NVG), is an optoelectronic device that allows visualization of images in low levels of light, improving the user's night vision. The dev ...

(MNVD). Marines currently can be issued with a sling suspension or a pad suspension to fit the inside of the helmet to the head. A

nape The nape is the back of the neck. In technical anatomical/medical terminology, the nape is also called the nucha (from the Medieval Latin rendering of the Arabic , "spinal marrow"). The corresponding adjective is ''nuchal'', as in the term ''nu ...

protection system adds ballistic protection to the rear of the head was also added as to reduce strain and improve comfort to the back of the neck.

Successor

The Marine Corps placed its first order for the Enhanced Combat Helmet in July 2013, and was fielded to deployed Marines by the end of 2013. The ECH is planned to equip all deployed Marines, while the Lightweight Helmet will still be used for training and noncombat purposes. Beginning in 2021, a high cut ECH variant with attachment rails and a contour similar to the Ops-Core FAST helmet already in use by special operations forces was issued to Marines in combat arms units.

Users

* **

(and attached U.S. Navy personnel) **

United States Navy The United States Navy (USN) is the maritime service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. It is the largest and most powerful navy in the world, with the estimated tonnage ...

***

Seabees United States Naval Construction Battalions, better known as the Navy Seabees, form the U.S. Naval Construction Force (NCF). The Seabee nickname is a heterograph of the initial letters "CB" from the words "Construction Battalion". Depending upon ...

References

External links

Marine Corps Systems Command Page about the LWH

World-War-Helmets.com - LWH Helmet
(French) {{US Marine Corps navbox 2000s fashion 2010s fashion Combat helmets of the United States United States Marine Corps equipment Military equipment introduced in the 2000s

History

Successor

Users

See also

References

External links