The Indian army introduced new 'ballistic helmets' for the its soldiers, which are expected to be lighter than its predecessors — thereby enabling the soldiers to move quicker than before.
According to ANI, the helmets can save soldiers from bullets up to 9 mm fired from as close as 20 meters.
A statement released by the helmet makers MKU India said that 7500 helmets have been made in the first lot, of which 2500 have been assigned to soldiers with the UN.
This is the first time in twenty years that the Army is getting a revamp in its protection gear, this time with modern design and technological incorporations.
The manufacturers have developed two models of helmets — the normal ballistic model, and the command ballistic model. The latter model enables hands-free communication through specific devices, a characteristic that was not present in the earlier helmets.
A total of 1,58,279 helmets will be required for the Army, Navy and UN soldiers in the first lot, reported Financial Express. A batch of 6000 helmets are currently undergoing ballistic tests.
According Financial Express, the Army is also looking to issue these helmets to soldiers stationed at the Line of Control, Line of Actual Control and those deployed in counter-terrorism operations.
(With inputs from ANI and Financial Express)
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