Titanium helmet

Titan helmet - special forces military, Russia 1993

A titanium helmet is a head protection made of titanium or titanium aramid ( hybrid ) for the military , the police or the SEK , which is supposed to offer primary protection against projectiles in direct close-range fire.

Titanium helmets are currently (as of 2019) one of the most effective head protection equipment. Due to the high price, they are often only used in special units of the SEK, the police or the military.

Protective effect

Serious causes of injuries to soldiers are often thermomechanical combined injuries , which are triggered by mine explosions with the impact of mine fragments or by direct (vehicle) fire with the following severe gun trauma. The high bullet resistance, especially in the edge area of the helmet, is due to the combination of the low material deformation of the metal with the shape of the helmet. A large amount of material deformation caused by the kinetic energy of the bullet causes a trauma effect that can be fatal, even if the bullet does not penetrate the protective helmet. "In Germany, a maximum trauma value of 20 millimeters was set". A larger material deformation inwards often causes lasting damage to the brain , so that death follows with a delay. Titanium helmets can meet the technical guidelines and fall below the residual energy value of a maximum of 10 joules . The maximum permissible guideline value for aramid protective helmets is 25 joules. Life-threatening values for a bullet caliber (9 × 19, 420 m / s) are around 60 to 120 joules. Head injuries caused by this high energy impact on the helmet wearer almost always have fatal consequences.

These titanium helmets of the police and the SEK have the highest bullet resistance achieved against ammunition types / caliber in the test levels VPAM 3 ( 9 × 19 DM 41 8.0 g) VM . In the case of the hybrid versions of the titanium helmet, it is test level VPAM 4 ( .44 Rem. Mag. , FM J 16.2 g and .357 Mag , KSVM 10.2 g). Certification in accordance with the Technical Guideline (TR) “Complete Ballistic Safety Helmet System” was carried out in 05/2010 by the Police Technical Institute (PTI) of the German Police University (DHPol) in Münster . The titanium helmet with an additional head protection shield has now (as of 2019) achieved protection level VPAM-6 as head protection.

Development and company

The Soviet secret service KGB had titanium helmets developed by military research institutions as early as 1984, which were used and further developed by the FSB and special units after the collapse of the Soviet Union . Today's leading manufacturer of titanium helmets is Ulbrichts Witwe GmbH, a medium-sized company in Austria that developed titanium helmets for Germany's police force on behalf of Baden-Württemberg . In 2017, the company ULBRICHTS Protection equipped the Austrian police with 6450 titanium helmets.

Procurement of titanium helmets from the police forces of the federal states of Germany

Bavaria's Minister of the Interior, Joachim Herrmann , presented the “Concept for Strengthening the Bavarian Security Authorities” on November 24, 2015 in Munich. The content was also the improved protective equipment of the Bavarian police. "Police officers should [...] receive titanium helmets that can withstand fire from automatic weapons such as Kalashnikovs ." Bavaria has not yet made a decision on the nationwide introduction of titanium helmets. The Hessian police were equipped with 850 titanium helmets from ULBRICHTS Protection in 2016. They are part of the new anti-terror equipment in Hessen . In 2017, Brandenburg increased the number of SEK officers by 15 to 60 people who were equipped with titanium helmets for their personal protection. In 2018, Berlin equipped its police with titanium helmets, among other things. "Because terrorists often shoot with heavy weapons, a working group of the federal and state interior ministers recommends the state police to better protect their officers with titanium helmets."

armed forces

The use of titanium helmets in the armed forces was rejected as uneconomical due to the high production costs. In 2013, the Bundeswehr introduced the Ops core helmet "Fast" for special forces , which is not a titanium helmet.