US Army's new helmets and body armor will make soldiers lighter, faster, and even harder to kill

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US Army's new helmets and body armor will make soldiers lighter, faster, and even harder to kill

U.S. Army Rangers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, clear a building during a live fire exercise on Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Jan 23, 2014.

U.S. Army photo by Pfc. Rashene Mincy

U.S. Army Rangers assigned to 2nd Battalion, 75th Ranger Regiment, clear a building during a live fire exercise on Fort Hunter Liggett, Calif., Jan 23, 2014.

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  • The new helmet offers 100 percent more blunt impact protection over its predecessor while weighing less.
  • The helmet is slightly larger than the previous one and features a boltless retention system so there are fewer holes in the helmet, which diminish its protectiveness.

US Army soldiers will soon begin gearing up for battle with new, lightweight body armor and helmets that can take a serious beating, the service revealed this week.

The Army's new Soldier Protection System - which includes the Integrated Head Protection System, Modular Scalable Vest, and Blast Pelvic Protector - provides better protection and mobility than previous systems, and it will be delivered this month to soldiers in the 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 82nd Airborne Division at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

"We're going to do our best to provide you the equipment that you need to go out there and fight and return," Brig. Gen. Anthony Potts, the head of PEO Soldier, said at an event Monday. At the event, a soldier who had been shot in the head in Afghanistan last year was reunited with his life-saving helmet.

"I want our equipment to make our soldiers invincible," Potts said.

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The helmet: Integrated Head Protection System

The helmet: Integrated Head Protection System

The IHPS, developed by Ceradyne Inc., is defined by its improved blunt force protection. While the helmet has the same ballistic protection as its predecessor, it is significantly more capable when it comes to absorbing energy after a round strikes.

"It's less force on the brain," Alex DeGroot, the lead engineer for head protection, explained to Military.com. "It's a tremendous increase for us."

"It's actually one of the things that makes this helmet considerably better than the current helmet," he added.

The IHPS offers 100 percent more blunt impact protection over its predecessor while weighing less, according to Lt. Col. Ginger Whitehead, product manager for Soldier Protective Equipment.

The IHPS is an improvement over the current Enhanced Combat Helmet

The IHPS is an improvement over the current Enhanced Combat Helmet

Less effective than the IHPS, the current helmet, the 3.3-pound ECH, is decidedly durable. It can definitely take a hit, as one lucky soldier demonstrated.

The helmet in the above photo belonged to Staff Sgt. Steven McQueen of Charlie Company, 1st Battalion, 28th Infantry Regiment. He was shot in the head with a machine gun round at a distance of about 20 feet during an insider attack in Afghanistan last year.

Read More: A US Army soldier was shot in the head with a machine gun round. This is the helmet that saved his life

The bullet hit him in the back of the head and knocked him off his feet. McQueen said it felt like being kicked by a horse, but he survived the September attack.

"Before this incident, I thought the helmet was cumbersome, and it was overkill," McQueen said. "I was sorely mistaken. This helmet works, and I'm a living testament to it."

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The ECH is good. The IHPS is better.

The ECH is good. The IHPS is better.

The new IHPS, slightly larger than the ECH, features a boltless retention system, so the Army was able to eliminate the holes where the chin-strap was previously bolted in place.

"The challenge with drilling holes in the helmet is that you weaken the material," Whitehead told Military.com. "With this new helmet, we have gotten rid of the four holes drilled in the side."

There is still one hole in the front of the helmet for soldiers to mount night vision devices, like the Army's new binocular goggles with the ability to connect to the sights on a soldier's service weapon, allowing them to shoot from the hip and around corners.

Read More: Soldiers will soon be much more deadly with new night vision that lets them shoot around corners and fire accurately from the hip

The Army, according to Defense News, is working on a Universal Helmet Mount for such devices that will eliminate the final hole, allowing future helmets to offer even greater protection. Night vision goggles are not the only available add-on though.

The removable rail sections on the sides allow for the mounting of lights and other relevant accessories. The bigger helmet also offers more space for comms devices, and protective additions such as a visor and ballistic applique are also possibilities.

Body armor: Modular Scalable Vest and Ballistic Pelvic Protector

Body armor: Modular Scalable Vest and Ballistic Pelvic Protector

Roughly five pounds lighter than the current Improved Outer Tactical Vest (IOTV), the Modular Scalable Vest weighs 11 pounds without ballistic plating and around 25 pounds when equipped with the armor plates, Military.com reported.

The Army, Defense News reported, is currently evaluating materials for a new, lighter Enhanced Small Arms Protective Insert, which offers improved protection at 20 percent less weight.

The vest is also accompanied by an optional Blast Pelvic Protector, a belt which reportedly offers additional protection for the groin and upper thigh. The soldiers at Fort Bragg will be receiving the vest and belt along with the IHPS this month.

There is also an accompanying Ballistic Combat Shirt, which is replacing the Deltoid Axillary Protector, is designed to better protect soldiers from 9mm rounds and shrapnel, but this piece of gear is expected to be fielded this summer.

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