IHPS test script preview

Task and Purpose, my own words, reading the helmet saving some turret gunner dude

This is the Army’s new IHPS helmet (Integrated helmet protection system.) This polyethylene and carbon fiber helmet has a myriad of features including add on rifle rated armor and mandible for turret gunners. However, its currently being issued largely standalone. This helmet has been hailed as a real wonder technology with its new materials. But, the hype is bullshit! Some of you may remember the emotional anger I had with the lackluster performance of the Russian army’s standard issue 6b47 helmet where I asked questions like, Does the Russian government care about its soldiers? That my friends is foreshadowing. And no, before anyone asks, this helmet isn't listed on someone's clothing record somewhere.

Many polyethylene helmets like the ECH (I will test in the future) have been able to resist some serious impacts in other tests, and some of the 3M and opscore helmets are rated against rifle rounds. Cost be damned. Helmets stopping rifle rounds should be the new American standard. The technology is here. And don’t give me any cop out excuses stating that frag protection is enough because we’ve had frag protection for over 100 years. Rant aside, existing polyethylene helmets set the bar pretty high for the IHPS and I’ve heard a ton of hype over it.

The other special character for this video is the Russian 7N21-1 armor piercing 9x19 millimeter bullet. It has a hardened steel core that separates from the copper on impact. This bullet is effective for soft armor and barrier penetration and is loaded a bit hotter than normal. We don’t have a chronograph today for these reloads but I will test FPS in a future video, I know thats annoying but feel free to email me (at bbgunbb@gmail.com) if you’d like to know any specific test related data. I’ve also compiled a new test results file that composites hit results from all previous armor and helmet tests that you can download on google drive in the link below.

I don’t have an official sponsor for this video but Element Training Center in Holt Florida lets me use their range and a lot of their weapons at no charge. They have an extensive facility that I’ve been doing all of my testing at. Check them out and you might catch me doing some mad scientist stuff there. I really can’t thank them enough.

The first round we’re going to shoot is the classic 1950s steel core czechoslovak 9mm round. This is a slower 9mm AP round (1300 fps) that so far no helmet has yet been able to stop. I’m not expecting a good result here but I want to hit the helmet at its strongest and push its limits. I’m shooting out of a Glock 34.

Amazingly, the helmet stopped the bullet, but that’s fatal deformation. Still an interesting result that so far suggests that the polyethylene and carbon fiber are more effective than kevlar.

Impressed, I’ve gone straight to another heavy hitter, I have a round of .45 supervel, this completely copper hollow point round hits similar to 357 magnum defensive loads. I’ve used it against a few helmets as a high energy round. (East German) Most notably the kevlar Russian TOR helmet that stopped it with very little deformation. I’m shooting it out of a Lightweight commander that ___ of Element Training Center let me borrow.

Well that’s not good. To put it in the words of a witnessing former Ceradyne employee, this is fatal deformation. The helmet wasn’t compromised on this side and other kevlar helmets easily deal with this round…

So… lets take it down a notch. The next round is S&B 9mm 124 grain, fairly standard 9mm FMJ civilian ammunition.

Again, TBI inducing deformation. This is a completely unacceptable result. This helmet is absolutely not level 3A NIJ. A PAGST helmet from the 80s could’ve produced better results than the IHPS. This is absolutely horrifying to me and shakes my confidence. The helmet as its being used now defends against rounds equally as poorly as the Russian 6B47. However, these results show that its adequate as a fragmentation stopper, and it does have the saving grace of having the option to add rifle proof armor. The suspension and padding are also superior when compared to the 47. But these are all copes, copes for the ballistic performance. In an age where rifle proof helmets are being produced, why spend 1200 dollars a piece on helmets that are outperformed by kevlar competitors that would cost the army a third of the cost? I must not have a big enough brain to comprehend the decision making behind this project. After all, (it doesn’t take a genius to become an army helicopter pilot)

To summarize: The helmet is ballistically inferior to kevlar analogues at a time where rifle rated polyethylene helmets exist. My assessment is that it should be abandoned in favor of those rifle rated helmets.

That being said, its still a good target for the Russian 7N21-1 as the IHPS stopped a steel cored bullet. Will the Russian AP round succeed where the older steel core failed? Lets try it at first from this vityaz sub machinegun.

The bullet penetrated the helmet and the copper part of the projectile left some deformation. But The vityaz makes it unfair. Lets shoot it from the same pistol we shot the older steel round with.

Again, perfect penetration, though less deformation this time. We managed to recover the hardened steel cores from the rounds, they’re perfectly intact with no deformation. Cleanly separating from the copper. I have a few more of these bullets so this won’t be the last time you see them. I’ll make a follow up video with some harder targets and a chronograph.

A test of Chinese PLA issued modern body armor is also coming. Goodbye for now.