Ceradyne Inc., a 3M company, is debuting its Ultra Light Weight Ballistic Bump Helmet (ULW-BBH) at the Association of the United States Army Annual Meeting in Washington, D.C., Oct. 13-15, according to a 3M release. Made specifically for special operations forces’ needs, the helmet meets bump and ballistic operational requirements in a single lightweight helmet.

Historically, special operators had to accept tradeoffs in weight, comfort, and protection in helmets, and often, in the quest for the lightest possible weight, accepted very light helmets with much lower protection levels or eschewed protective headgear altogether.

“We put our engineering and advanced materials expertise to work to combine the capabilities of bump and ballistic helmets into one multiuse platform. The ULW-BBH provides exceptional protection, optimum mobility and reduces the equipment burden for special forces personnel,” said Cheryl Ingstad, 3M business manager, Advanced Ceramics Platform – Defense.

The ULW-BBH provides blunt-impact protection equal to the Advanced Combat Helmet (ACH) for operations in the air, on water, and on land. It also meets a common ballistic standard against the NIJ-IIIA level of threat and 17 Grain FSP V-50.

“We put our engineering and advanced materials expertise to work to combine the capabilities of bump and ballistic helmets into one multiuse platform. The ULW-BBH provides exceptional protection, optimum mobility and reduces the equipment burden for special forces personnel,” said Cheryl Ingstad, 3M business manager, Advanced Ceramics Platform – Defense.

Ceradyne, which produces the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH) for the U.S. Army, U.S. Marine Corps, and U.S. Navy, used the latest ultra-high molecular weight polyethylene manufactured using a proprietary, seamless, ballistic molding technology to produce a shell weighing 30 percent less than the closest alternative. The retention system’s boltless design helps minimize overall weight, removes a potential design weakness, and eliminates the possibility of bolts acting as secondary projectiles.

The helmet also employs a flexible rail system compatible with standard accessories including night vision goggles, communications equipment, hearing and vision protection, and lights.