The SPECTRA helmet or CGF Gallet Combat Helmet is the PASGT-style

ballistic 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 ...

in use with the

French military The French Armed Forces (french: Forces armées françaises) encompass the Army, the Navy, the Air and Space Force and the Gendarmerie of the French Republic. The President of France heads the armed forces as Chief of the Armed Forces. France ...

, and the armies of several other countries. Built by CGF Gallet (producer of the

F1 helmet For centuries, firefighters have worn helmets to protect them from heat, cinders and falling objects. Although the shape of most fire helmets has changed little over the years, their composition has evolved from traditional leather to metals (i ...

for firemen), it weighs , is available in three sizes, and is made from

ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW) is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. Also known as high-modulus polyethylene, (HMPE), it has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 3.5 and 7.5 million amu. T ...

''Spectra'' fibers, produced under

license A license (or licence) is an official permission or permit to do, use, or own something (as well as the document of that permission or permit). A license is granted by a party (licensor) to another party (licensee) as an element of an agreeme ...

from

Honeywell Honeywell International Inc. is an American publicly traded, multinational conglomerate corporation headquartered in Charlotte, North Carolina. It primarily operates in four areas of business: aerospace, building technologies, performance ma ...

. The SPECTRA helmet can stop shell fragments of travelling at , an 80% improvement over the Modèle 1978 helmet it replaced.

History

The SPECTRA helmet is the result of studies conducted in the 1990s, intended to design the helmet for the

French Army The French Army, officially known as the Land Army (french: Armée de Terre, ), is the land-based and largest component of the French Armed Forces. It is responsible to the Government of France, along with the other components of the Armed For ...

of the 2000s. In 1992, the conflict in the former Yugoslavia placed large numbers of French troops in contact with well-trained and well-equipped forces, especially

sniper A sniper is a military/paramilitary marksman who engages targets from positions of concealment or at distances exceeding the target's detection capabilities. Snipers generally have specialized training and are equipped with high-precision r ...

s during the

Siege of Sarajevo The Siege of Sarajevo ( sh, Opsada Sarajeva) was a prolonged blockade of Sarajevo, the capital of Republic of Bosnia and Herzegovina, Bosnia and Herzegovina, during the Bosnian War. After it was initially besieged by the forces of the Yugoslav ...

, where heavier protection than the Modèle 1978 helmet proved necessary. The Army requested an emergency study for the new helmet, and tests were made, which selected the

Dyneema Ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE, UHMW) is a subset of the thermoplastic polyethylene. Also known as high-modulus polyethylene, (HMPE), it has extremely long chains, with a molecular mass usually between 3.5 and 7.5 million amu. T ...

fiber. Gallet drafted a model based on the

Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops 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 ...

(PASGT or ''Fritz'') helmet used by 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 ...

, and produced a first series of 5,000 which was immediately made available to the

blue helmets Peacekeeping by the United Nations is a role held by the Department of Peace Operations as an "instrument developed by the organization as a way to help countries torn by conflict to create the conditions for lasting peace". It is distinguished ...

in the

former Yugoslavia The Socialist Federal Republic of Yugoslavia, commonly referred to as SFR Yugoslavia or simply as Yugoslavia, was a country in Central and Southeast Europe. It emerged in 1945, following World War II, and lasted until 1992, with the breakup of Yu ...

. These first models were mostly blue in color. Later models used the NATO green color. They gradually equipped all French troops, with priority given to units on missions in foreign territories. This completely replaced all the 1978 helmets in French service. At one point, it was tested by the Uruguayan military, but it was not adopted.

Description

The helmet is made of Spectra fibre. It is not

bulletproof Bulletproofing is the process of making an object capable of stopping a bullet or similar high velocity projectiles (e.g. shrapnel). The term bullet resistance is often preferred because few, if any, practical materials provide complete protectio ...

against rifle or carbine bullets. It is a fragmentation-resistant helmet with a maximum distortion (loss of shape) of from a 9mm

full metal jacket bullet A full metal jacket (FMJ) bullet is a small-arms projectile consisting of a soft core (often lead) encased in an outer shell ("jacket") of harder metal, such as gilding metal, cupronickel, or, less commonly, a steel alloy. A bullet jacket usual ...

(FMJ) of 8 g (124 gr) travelling on impact. It has a resistance to fragments that meets NATO Standardised Regulation (

STANAG In NATO, a standardization agreement (STANAG, redundantly: STANAG agreement) defines processes, procedures, terms, and conditions for common military or technical procedures or equipment between the member countries of the alliance. Each NATO st ...

) 2920, V50 mini, which is . Resistance to shock-impact meets protection standard EN397 for industrial helmets. The helmet can be worn with

earmuff Earmuffs are clothing accessories or personal protective equipment designed to cover a person's ears for hearing protection or warmth. They consist of a thermoplastic or metal head-band that fits over the top or back of the head, and a cushion ...

s and an individual radio system. Further equipment, like night vision, can be added. The new infantry combat equipment of the French army, the Félin system, is partly based on development of the SPECTRA helmet.

Variants

M/96

In the early 1990s, the Danish army began looking for a replacement to the old US M1 helmet designated ''M/48 Steel helmet'', which had been the standard helmet in Denmark since World War 2. The M/96 helmet was officially brought into service in 1996 as the M/96.

Helmet covers

The removable

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 ...

allows to change the pattern of the camouflage. For instance, the Danish army uses three different covers: * ''Helmet cover "Dk-version"''. An early version produced probably locally in Denmark. Almost identical to the CGF Gallet 900076 version but with no rubber rim, instead it has a

drawstring A drawstring (draw string, draw-string) is a string, cord, lace, or rope used to "draw" ( gather, or shorten) fabric or other material. Ends of a drawstring are often terminated with a sheath called an aglet. The ends may be tied to hold the dr ...

to keep it tight to the helmet. The loops of the drawstrings on top of the helmet sometimes are quite big. M/84 camouflage pattern. Still in use in some places until roughly 1998 or 1999. *''M/96 Helmet cover''. ''CGF Gallet 900076-VSxx'' (x = XL, L, M). This is the standard cover in the Danish army. M/84 camouflage pattern and a big rubber rim to hold it tight to the helmet. Made of the same fabric as the M/84 Combat uniform: 67% cotton & 33% polyester. *''M/03 Helmet cover''. ''MSA Gallet 501814-JJxx'' (x = XL, L, M). With M/99 Desert camouflage pattern and a big rubber rim to hold it tight to the helmet. Made of the same fabric as the M/03 Desert uniform: 90% cotton & 10% polyester.

CG634

Users

*: Standard service helmet. * : Used helmet design for creation of CG634. * : Designated M/96 in Danish service * : The F2 helmet was adopted by the French Army. *: Standard helmet of

Military of Morocco The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces (, ) are the military forces of the Kingdom of Morocco. They consist of the Army, the Navy, the Air Force, the Royal Gendarmerie, and the Royal Guard. The Royal Moroccan Armed Forces are large, expensive and well ...

References

External links

* {{helmets Combat helmets of France

Helmet A helmet is a form of protective gear worn to protect the head. More specifically, a helmet complements the skull in protecting the human brain. Ceremonial or symbolic helmets (e.g., a policeman's helmet in the United Kingdom) without protect ...

Military equipment introduced in the 1990s