The US Army dropped a presolicitation over the holiday break for an “Advanced Combat Helmet Maxillofacial System.” According to the FBO posting it is a set aside for small business and must not change the standard ACH:
“Product Manager Soldier Protective Equipment (PM SPE) is looking for a commercially available product that can provide ballistic, blast and blunt impact protection in the maxillofacial region to increase soldier survivability. The system must be able to integrated on the current Advanced Combat Helmet and provide modularity which allows for commanders in the field to either wear the face shield or ballistic mandible separately or as an integrated system. The maxillofacial system shall not change the current form, fit, function of the helmet and maintain the current helmet sizing profile.”
Sounds like it might just be written for MTek Weapon Systems’ G-Series Faceshields. Their FAST G3A has been purchased in limited numbers by the Rapid Equipping Force and used by cupola gunners in combat.
The Army intends to procure only one type of system with an initial quantity of one hundred and sixty (160) systems will be procured with options for an additional two thousand (2,000) systems. The actual RFP will come out on 13 January and offerors will have until 14 February to reply.
Tags: MTek Weapon Systems
I can’t say I care for this system. An elastic strap to hold the visor in? Really? I think the Revision BATLSKIN is the most promising.
This. I ran into two guys who have the BATLSKIN; one who is having his mask portion panted as the Joker’s face and another who is getting the Predator mask painted on his mask. The idea of these guys in-country is amazing.
That sounds pretty neat. I like the Batlskin stuff but haven’t seen it in the wild yet.
And who’s gonna wear that in the 130 degree heat of the ME ? ?? !!!
Guys already are
Are they wearing it because they have to or because they want to ?
if they are I’d wager they’re not wearing the goggles too ! No way, I’m not buying it. Literally or figuratively !!
They dont actually touch the face so wont trap sweat at all. I can see an issue with weight though.
this sounds just as terrible as those DAPS shoulder armor garbage.
How difficult is it to get a cheek weld on your weapon with this system…?
Ayup!
All those folks who don’t like this product obviously haven’t had a rock thrown at them in the turret or seen a dude break his nose/cheek/face after hitting the side of the cupola!
Wish we’d had something like this on my deployments. Use some common sense though, this obviously isn’t for certain applications, but like everything it’s a tool to be used in specific situations.
I agree. If my friend would have had this, he wouldn’t have needed surgery on his septum after smacking his face as a gunner when getting blown up.
I would most likely still have my left eye and better use out of my right eye after getting blown up. (Yes I was wearing eye pro, they just blown off too.)
Now the million dollar question, would I have worn this monstrosity? Probably not.
Agreed. Should be standard issue for whoever is gunning.
+1 hits bump smashes face into M2, ND some rounds while on convoy, needs sutures after.
The joker/predator idea sounds freakin awaesome.
Sure would be hard to throw a dip in and spit with this on.
Obviously this piece of kit is best worn during specific operations. It’s use should be extremely limited as well. But, having a “face shield” would definently come in handy for those individuals who need it. This is a great piece of kit. I only fear that some ill-informed commanders may try to make policy that mandates the wear of such an item in situations that wouldn’t benefit the soldier but actually hinder him. In other words, let’s hope commanders won’t order its use for every combat operation under the sun. Sound stupid? Yeah, we’ve all seen it before.