The Modèle 1978 helmet is a modern military steel helmet used by the French Army under the ''F1'' designation and commonly called "heavy helmet" (other nicknames include "locomotive skin cap"). It replaced the

Modèle 1951 helmet The Modèle 1951 helmet was a military helmet used by the French military (Army, Navy, Air Force and Gendarmerie), iconic of the Algerian War. It replaced a variety of helmets used during the Second World War, including the Adrian helmet, Modè ...

. It was the standard helmet for both the Army and the

Mobile Gendarmerie The Mobile Gendarmerie (french: Gendarmerie mobile) (GM) is a subdivision of the French National Gendarmerie whose main mission is to maintain public order (from crowd control to riot control) and general security. Contrary to the Departmental Ge ...

. In 1992 the SPECTRA helmet started to supersede the Modèle 1978. The SPECTRA helmet is made of Spectra fiber, which makes the Modèle 1978 the last French helmet made of steel.

Design and production

The Modèle 1978 is a one-piece helmet made 1.2mm of amagnetic steel, weighing 1.2 kg. They were usually painted in NATO olive paint with IR-isolating properties to reduce the thermal signature of the wearer. It was made by the Dunois company in

Cousance Cousance () is a commune in the Jura department Department may refer to: * Departmentalization, division of a larger organization into parts with specific responsibility Government and military *Department (administrative division), a geog ...

, and by GIAT in

Rennes Rennes (; br, Roazhon ; Gallo: ''Resnn''; ) is a city in the east of Brittany in northwestern France at the confluence of the Ille and the Vilaine. Rennes is the prefecture of the region of Brittany, as well as the Ille-et-Vilaine department ...

. By 1983, some 300,000 helmets were in service, for a total of 700,000 planned.

History

Research on the Modèle 1978 helmet started around 1973. In contrast to the

, the new model was a one-piece heavy helmet, rather than consisting of a light liner underneath a stronger metal helmet. Prototypes went for testing in the

1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment The 1st Parachute Chasseur Regiment (french: 1er Régiment de Chasseurs Parachutistes, 1er R.C.P) is the oldest and among the most decorated airborne regiments of the French Army. Established in the French Army in 1943 and formerly part of the Fr ...

, the 75th Infantry Regiment and the 13th Bataillon de Chasseurs Alpins. On 5 June 1978, the French Army adopted prototypes helmet A4 and chin strap A5 as the Modèle 1978 helmet. Usage by paratroopers, in particular, yielded improvements to the chin strap to avoid accidents. The modified variant entered service in 1982 as the F1 série 2 helmet. The helmet can be fitted with a plastic camouflage covering. The Modèle 1978 helmet saw its baptism of fire with the Multinational Force in Lebanon in 1982.

Users

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Citations and references

Citations References * * * *

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Modele 1978 helmet Combat helmets of France Military equipment introduced in the 1970s