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Gentex Corporation Settles Lawsuit with Galvion

Wednesday, January 18th, 2023

CARBONDALE, PA, JANUARY 17, 2023 – On May 17, 2019, Gentex Corporation filed a lawsuit against Galvion in the United States District Court for the District of Delaware, Civil Action No. 1:19-cv-00921-MN involving helmet systems with integrated or standalone mounting rails.

Gentex asserted infringement of U.S. Patent No. 7,849,517, titled “Mounting System for Accessories on a Safety Helmet” and issued on December 14, 2010 (“the ’517 Patent”); U.S. Patent No. 7,908,667, titled “Mounting System for Accessories on a Safety Helmet” and issued on March 22, 2011 (“the ’667 Patent”); U.S. Patent No. 9,717,294, titled “Hinged Attachment of Headgear to a Helmet” and issued on August 1, 2017 (“the ’294 Patent”); U.S. Patent No. 10,638,807, titled “Helmet Cover Assembly Having at Least One Mounting Device” and issued on May 5, 2020 (“the ’807 Patent”); U.S. Design Patent No. D750,846, titled “Helmet Mounted Rail” and issued on March 1, 2016 (“the ’846 Patent”); U.S. Design Patent No. D750,847, titled “Helmet Mount” and issued on March 1, 2016 (“the ’847 Patent”).

On June 24, 2022, Gentex and Galvion settled this lawsuit. Among other terms, Galvion obtained a royalty-bearing license to certain Gentex patents for past and future Galvion helmet systems with integrated or standalone mounting rails.

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HALO // Delta Three Oscar // SHOT

Tuesday, January 17th, 2023

Coming this spring from D3O, the HALO helmet liner system.

Get a sneak peek at SHOT Show mounted on helmets in several stands.

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Gentex Corporation Announces Contract to Supply Headborne Solutions to NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA)

Wednesday, December 21st, 2022

Multi-Year Contract to Supply Helmets and Headborne Systems Accessories to NATO and Partner Nations

CARBONDALE, PA, DECEMBER 19, 2022 – Gentex Corporation, a global leader in personal protection and situational awareness solutions for defense forces, emergency responders and industrial personnel, announced today an agreement to supply helmets and a catalogue of accessory products to NATO and Partner nations through a multi-year outline agreement contract with the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA).

Gentex will supply variants of its industry-leading Ops-Core® FAST® RF1 and XP ballistic helmet systems to NATO members through the administration of the NSPA. Along with helmet systems, the contract also includes many Ops-Core market-leading headborne accessories including the AMP® Communication Headset and PTTs, ballistic and non-ballistic mandibles, STEP-IN® Visors, and Special Operations Tactical Respirator (SOTR) respiratory products.

“Being able to supply the Ops-Core FAST RF1 and XP helmet systems and accessories through NSPA means that NATO member countries can offer their soldiers and operators the best possible protection through a streamlined process,” said Jim Clarke, Gentex Sales Director for EMEA.

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Rheinmetall Stepping Up Delivery of Combat Helmets to the Bundeswehr: Quality Inspection Successfully Concluded

Thursday, December 15th, 2022

Rheinmetall has reached another milestone on the road to equipping the German military with a new combat helmet. On 6 December 2022, Christine Lambrecht, the German defence minister, took official delivery of the first items of military clothing and personal equipment ordered by the Bundeswehr in response to the abruptly changed security situation in Europe. The equipment includes the new combat helmet being supplied by Rheinmetall. Quick off the mark, Rheinmetall had already successfully concluded formal qualification of the tactical headgear as well as quality inspection of the first three lots of subsequent procurements.

In November 2020 the Bundeswehr placed an initial order with Rheinmetall for an advanced combat helmet. The framework agreement encompassed delivery of up to 20,000 “Combat Helmet, Special Forces, Heavy”. A first call-off of 5,000 helmets came the same month. The helmets were initially earmarked for special operations forces and specialized troops with an expanded basic capability for conducting special operations, as well as for equipping NATO’s VJTF 2023 spearhead force. In March 2022, spurred by the dramatic turn of events in Europe, the Bundeswehr significantly expanded its order. The new helmet model would now be known as the “Combat Helmet, Armed Forces”. In all, the follow-up order encompasses some 300,000 helmets, which will be supplied to the German military during the period 2022-2025. Rheinmetall is cooperating in this programme with two strategic partners. Total order volume exceeds €200 million.
Providing improved protection and more comfortable to wear, the new combat helmets feature decibel-independent hearing protection and a night observation device. They will substantially enhance the combat effectiveness of German infantry forces.

Since 2020, nearly 34,000 helmets have been supplied. By the end of the year, a further 11,000 will reach the troops. The order was won by Rheinmetall Soldier Electronics of Stockach, Germany. A specialist supplier of laser light modules, the company is extremely well-connected in the soldier systems segment.

Posted in Advertiser, Contracts, Helmets, International, Press Release | 2 Comments »

Galvion Wins Major NSPA Contract to Supply Ballistic Combat Helmets to NATO

Wednesday, December 14th, 2022

Galvion, a world leader in innovative head protection systems and power and data management solutions, has been awarded a framework contract by the NATO Support and Procurement Agency (NSPA) to supply its flagship Batlskin Caiman® ballistic helmet system. This announcement places Galvion as a major supplier of higher performance helmet systems, typically used by Special Operations Forces (SOF), to any NATO country wishing to purchase through NSPA.

The contract was awarded following extensive user trials conducted by the lead user nation under the supervision of the NSPA. The contract duration is three years with options to be extended to a maximum of seven years.

Selected by NSPA to meet the higher performance bracket of four specified helmet categories, Galvion’s flagship Batlskin Caiman® helmet comes in five sizes and is equipped with the very latest APEX lining system, an intuitively adjustable design that enables a customized fit for users. The Caiman helmet is scalable for highly dynamic operations, with mission-specific accessories (visor, mandible and helmet cover) also available through the framework contract. The helmet system has been tried and tested on operations and is already in service across multiple countries, primarily for SOF use, delivering unmatched levels of weight and comfort, and is expressly designed to incorporate electronics, communications headsets, and other critical equipment needs, now and into the future.

Jonathan Blanshay, CEO at Galvion said: I’m particularly proud to announce this contract award today. The Caiman system was developed over a number of years with extensive SOF operator collaboration and feedback, specifically with an eye to the future needs of users. It is a platform with a unique combination of agility, protection, weight reduction, and scalability, built to meet the real-world demands of the modern battlefield. Added Blanshay, This framework contract presents an exciting opportunity to get this class-leading helmet to a vast cross-section of those it was designed to serve, and we look forward to working through NSPA to outfit operators across NATO for years to come.

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Ape Defense – The Bucket

Wednesday, November 30th, 2022

The Bucket from Apr Defense is a helmet bag which includes adjustable padded dividers if you wanted to use it for gear, sensitive equipment, etc.

apedefense.com/shop/soft-goods/ape-bucket-hard-shell-case

Posted in Helmets, Load Carrying | 2 Comments »

Norotos Improves Fit and Stability of NVG Mounts

Friday, October 28th, 2022

Norotos gave us an update on improvements they’ve made to their NVG mounts to enhance compatibility across all brands of helmet mounted night observation devices and improve the fit of worn sockets.

First, they’ve added rubber bumpers on the back of the mount to improve stability.

Next, they’ve tightened things up in order to reduce wobble in the stowed position.

Finally, they’ve introduced the Fit Perfect Socket which is spring-loaded in order to ensure a snugger fit to underside or worn dovetail.

Posted in Helmets | 1 Comment »

AUSA 22 – Gentex Ops-Core AMP Headset Mount for Army Issue Helmet

Thursday, October 13th, 2022

The US Army’s Integrated Head Protection System (IHPS) certainly has a unique geometry and the rail system remains challenging.

A couple of companies have come up with ways to attach over-the-ear style comms headsets with varying degrees of success thanks to the accessory rail and helmet shape. Generally, the arm ends up sticking out quite a bit.

Gentex tasked their Ops-Core team to take a crack at it and they created two styles. Here you can see an IHPS from head-on equipped with an AMP headset. On the left is the more prevalent style of attachment arm which is quite pronounced. To the right is a modified solution using the standard AMP arm, which is much more streamlined.

Here Ops-Core uses the issue IHPS accessory rail along with a custom arm. This sticks out quite a bit from the helmet.

Next, Ops-Core developed a rail appliqué which facilitates use of the lower profile AMP attachment arm.

While there is currently no official requirement for attachment of an over-the-ear style comms headset to IHPS, individual organizations are procuring the capability. Perhaps soon, we will see a new Army requirement and this will be one of the options.

Posted in Advertiser, Comms, Helmets | 2 Comments »