Mk 7 helmet
 | The topic of this article may not meet Wikipedia's general notability guideline. (October 2010) |
The Mk. 7 helmet is the newest helmet of the British Armed Forces. Officially known as the GS (General Service) Mark 7 combat helmet. It is now replacing the previous Mk.6A helmet and Mk. 6 Helmet, introduced in 2005 and 1982 respectively.
The Mk.7 helmet was introduced in June 2009 as an UOR (urgent operational requirement). The new helmet offers the same ballistic protection as the Mk6A helmet, but its new shape allows a soldier to lie flat and shoot straight, without the rear rim digging into his body armour and tipping the front rim over his eyes.[1]
The Mk.7 helmet is lighter than its predecessor – 2 lb 4oz instead of 3 lb 5oz for the Mark 6 helmet – and has better chin strapping for stability. It is produced in a new colour - tan, unlike the Mk.6A in black and Mk.6 in olive. It has been adopted for use in Afghanistan.
The ballistic protection is measured with V50 and for the Mk7 it is about 650 m/s.