Police Department in US adopts ballistic helmets made with Dyneema® HB26 composite

21-Oct-08

The Denver Police Department in Colorado is the first US organization to adopt the new Protech Delta LT helmets made employing ultra-strong Dyneema® HB26 unidirectional (UD) composite from DSM Dyneema. The helmets marketed by Protech Armored Products, a BAE Systems Products Group company meets National Institute of Justice (NIJ) IIIA specifications and is 15% lighter in weight than comparable 100% aramid helmets. Although these helmets are significantly lighter, they show a reduced back-face signature when compared to previous 100% aramid models. This marks the first commercial use of Dyneema® HB26 composite in a ballistic helmet in the US. Dyneema® HB26 composite is based on Dyneema®, the world's strongest fiber™, made from ultra high molecular weight polyethylene fiber. Dyneema® HB26 provides protection against handgun fragments and rifle threats at extremely low weights in both personal and vehicle hard ballistic armor applications. Dyneema® UD is made of several layers of Dyneema® fibers, with the direction of fibers in each layer placed perpendicular to those in the adjacent layers. This unidirectional configuration allows the energy transferred from the impact of a bullet, or other threats, to be distributed along the fibers much more rapidly and efficiently than in conventional woven fabrics.