Now the Indian Army’s soldiers are protected from AK-47 bullet strikes with this new Bullet Proof Helmets, ‘Made in India’. The new helmets were the first major contract for modern composite helmets placed under the Make in India initiative, and the contract between Kanpur-based MKU Ltd and the Ministry of Defence was signed in 2016 under the then defence minister Late Manohar Parrikkar. The contract involved 1,58,279 Bullet Proof Helmets (BPH).
In an interview with Financial Express Online on Friday, Vaibhav Gupta, Director and Head of Domestic Operations, confirmed, ‘Contract has successfully been completed by the company earlier this year in April. And the helmets supplied are already in use by the Indian Army in critical operation areas and are also being used by the Indian Navy.’
‘Around 55,000 of the 1.58 lakh BPHs are equipped with communication systems to be used by commanders. And these have been completely designed and manufactured in India by MKU,’ Vaibhav Gupta added.
According to him, the helmets were selected after undergoing extensive user and ballistic tests by the Indian Army in all types of terrains. ‘Our ongoing and continued investment in R&D has facilitated major breakthroughs.’
‘We at MKU have successfully executed export orders for helmets from Chile, Philippines, Singapore, Egypt and Nepal in the recent past,’ he says.
The export order from Nepal was the first for an Indian company in stiff competition with the Chinese company.
What makes these Bullet Proof Helmets special?
– Helmets are comfortable, lightweight and snug-fitting. The weight varies depending on the size from 1.2 kg to 1.4 kg.
– Specially designed to provide low trauma to protect against head injuries
– These are lightweight and comfortable to wear, and there are no quality issues.
– The new Bullet Proof Helmets will replace the ‘bullet proof patkas’ that soldiers in the Indian Army have been using since the 1990s, according to company officials. This was a sheet of armoured steel which was wrapped in canvas and was circular in shape.
– As mentioned earlier, the new helmets protect the soldiers while the AK-47 bullets are flying at twice the speed of sound, and the amount of energy they deliver causes severe injury to those wearing body armor and helmets.
– Due to the new technologies used in these light weight helmets, the soldiers will be protected from such bullets.
– The Indian Army has recently received these hi-tech helmets after more than two decades. The order was delivered over a period of three years.
Read also: Tokyo Paralympics: Bhavina Patel wins historic silver
The story of Indian army helmets
During the 90s, when the Army was fighting the insurgency in J & K, the soldiers wore 1974 model fiberglass helmets. These were insufficient to protect the soldiers from flying bullets and splinters.
‘Patka’ helmets designed by former Major General VK Datta in the early 1990s were low cost options for protecting soldiers. It was not enough to prevent blunt trauma injuries, and the top portion was open.
How does the new helmet work?
– A number of accessories including visors, face shields and night vision goggles will be supported.
– It can protect the soldier against Mild Steel Core and Hard Steel Core bullets from 10 metres of the AK-47’s 7.62×39 mm.
Post Your Comments