"While Combat Helmets were originally designed to protect soldiers from gunshots & war injuries, they have a much bigger role in ensuring success or failure in battle. Read about the Extended Role of Combat Helmets in our document "

1. Extended Role of
Ballistic Helmets in
Combat
No doubt bullet injuries are more lethal, but fungal infections that tend
to nourish on the inner side of helmets during deployment of
combatants in tropical and rainy terrains, impede the
efficiency/performance by hitting on the concentration of soldiers on the
battlefield. The harness/Padding system on the inner hull of the helmet
can often soak up and retain high levels of moisture in tropical and damp
environments.

2. Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
No doubt bullet injuries are more lethal, but fungal infections that tend to nourish on the inner side of
helmets during deployment of combatants in tropical and rainy terrains, impede the efficiency/performance
by hitting on the concentration of soldiers on the battlefield. The harness/Padding system on the inner hull
of the helmet can often soak up and retain high levels of moisture in tropical and damp environments. It is an
important requirement for agencies facilitating soldiers operating in the jungle environment with proper and
quality head gear to overcome itching and related issues when helmets are being worn over an extended
period of time.

3. Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
The contemporary operating environment continues to evolve
rapidly with armed forces around the world mostly paying heed
to technological advancement in weapon science.
Military operations ranging from Humanitarian Assistance and
Peacekeeping Missions to Counter-Terrorism and Border
Conflicts are being experienced in varied terrains like rain forests,
tropical jungles to hot and humid deserts demanding cent
percent commitment from combatants without any hindrance
due to ill-fitted protection gears and low-quality material used in
the manufacturing of Ballistic Protection. Ballistic Helmets have a
critical role to play and are tested most during the mission.

4. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
No doubt bullet injuries are more lethal, but fungal infections that tend to nourish
on the inner side of combat helmets during deployment of combatants in tropical
and rainy terrains, impede the efficiency/performance by hitting on the
concentration of soldiers on the battlefield. The harness/Padding system on the
inner hull of the helmet can often soak up and retain high levels of moisture in
tropical and damp environments.
It is an important requirement for agencies facilitating soldiers operating in the
jungle environment with proper and quality headgear to overcome itching and
related issues when helmets are being worn over an extended period of time.
Poor fitting/inadequate ventilation with damp harnesses/pads, lead to discomfort.
Excessive chafing due to low-quality material used in the manufacturing of
protection gears can also lead to irritability and infections in severe hot/humid
environments.

5. Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Helmet itch induced by fungal infection can be very annoying and
frustrating. Additionally, a severe itch beneath your protective helmet when
patrolling through tropical rainforests or arid terrain or while being there on
the firing range could be dangerously distracting. Helmet itch occurs most
when wearing headgear frequently or for sustained durations. combat
Helmet itch can be caused by a variety of causes. While some causes may be
due to combat helmet lining/harness/pads, the itchy scalp may be due to a
medical condition, such as dermatitis, dandruff, etc. Such adversities get
further aggravated when the material used for harness/pads is friendly for
fungal/microbial growth.
Apart from primary issues like itching and infection, fungal growth may also
impair the functioning or use of material by changing its physical properties.
Non-resistant materials used in ballistic helmets are susceptible to direct
attack of fungus, resulting in deterioration of the material used apart from
acting as a catalyst for multiplied growth rate. Physical deterioration of
material used in harness/pads of helmets adversely affects the physical
properties of the material.

6. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
The functioning of today’s ballistic helmets extends far beyond
the mere role of protective headgear. It now acts as an epicenter
of soldiers’ situational awareness. A number of devices like
cameras, Night Sights/Electro-Optical devices, GPS devices and a
number of other HMDs (head-mounted devices) can now be
mounted on a soldier's helmet enabling up-to-date situational
feedback to Command and Control centers for inter and
intrasquad operating efficiency.
Such devices do not go unaffected by the menace of fungal
infections, in case the helmet, they are mounted on, gets infested.
Broad-spectrum damages that such an outbreak causes in soldier
headgear can be summarized as follows:

7. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Fungal Diseases and Infections:
The fungus can cause severe physiological problems such as allergies, like contact dermatitis, or
sometimes life-threatening infections caused by several fungi which are omnipresent and grow
whenever a conducive situation of humidity and temperature gets created, also when the
harness/pads are not properly protected. The menace of fungal growth in contact with a
soldier’s skin is basically a paradise for fungus growth or may result in aesthetically unpleasant
odors that deter users from using the helmet.
Damage to electrical or electronic helmet accessories and systems:
Fungi can form undesirable coats/deposits causing electrical insulation that can adversely affect
the electrical characteristics of critically tuned electronic circuits of Communications Head-Sets,
Torches, Cameras and other HMDs, etc.

8. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Damage to optical systems
The fungus can also adversely affect light transmission through the optical system, block delicate
moving parts or even change non-wetting surfaces to wetting surfaces with a resulting loss in
performance.
Fungus growth can not only have temporary detrimental effects on a soldier’s health and
performance but can also induce serious life-long impairment if ignored/overlooked. It is widely
accepted that lack of knowledge on fungal issues in combats needs more attention. There are
some pre-defined military standards like MIL 810 G/JS 55555 which govern proper assessment &
compliance to the extent to which the army helmet material will resist fungal growth.
Broadly five different kinds of micro-organisms are highlighted in the MIL 810G standard that
damage (infect) the body coming in its contact, are as follows:

9. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Aspergillus Niger:
Aspergillus Niger is one of the most common causes of otomycosis (fungal ear infections), which
can cause pain, temporary hearing loss, and, in severe cases, damage to the ear canal and
tympanic membrane
Aspergillus Flavus:
Aspergillus flavus is a saprotrophic and pathogenic fungus with a cosmopolitan distribution It is
best known for its colonization of cereal grains, legumes, and tree nuts. Aspergillus flavus
aflatoxin production can lead to acute hepatitis, immunosuppression, hepatocellular carcinoma,
and neutropenia, also viral hepatitis highly increases the risk of hepatocellular carcinoma.
Aspergillus Versicolor:
It is a slow-growing filamentous fungus commonly found in damp indoor environments and on
food products. Mycotoxins can act as immune suppressants which explain the association of
increased prevalence of frequent infections among inhabitants of damp surroundings.

10. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Penicillium funiculosum:
Penicillium funiculosum is a plant pathogen infecting pineapple. It is used as a source of the enzymes
xylanase and beta-glucanase which are a non-starch polysaccharide hydrolysing enzymes used in the pig
feed Rovabio Excel. Penicillium funiculosum results in the high level of infection and allergies in humans.
Chaetomium Globosum:
It is a saprophytic fungus that primarily resides on plants, soil, straw, and dung. They are found in
habitats ranging from forest plants to mountain soils across various biomes. Chaetomium Globosum is
human allergens and opportunistic agent of fungal mycosis and neurological infections. However such
illnesses occur at low rates.
The main emphasis is laid on the basic hull of the helmet, whereas besides physical attributes of combat
helmet little or no emphasis is paid on harness & suspension system which largely comes in contact with
the soldier’s head/skull and facial parts. Helmet harness becomes a major reason for such
fungal/microbial infection, if not treated otherwise for such fungi/microbe resistance. These
components no doubt provide comfort to the user but hardly prevent fungal growth unless given anti-
fungal treatment to prevent growth because all such components come in direct contact with the
skin/head of the combatant and may cause infection.

11. Curvature and Coverings in Hard Body Armour
Extended Role of Ballistic Helmets in Combat
Whilst drafting RFQ, authorities, should lay stress on compliance to standards that ensure anti-
fungal/microbial properties in the materials being used for fabrication of harness & suspension system
along with associated components and insist on test reports from accredited laboratories. There are
defined test procedures and standards already in place that detail processes to be followed and results
desired to rate the fungal resistance of equipment for combatants on the scale of zero to four.
Macromatrix Technology:
Macromatrix technology within Kavro tactical helmet ensures accurate and uniform protection across
the compound curve of the tactical helmet shell from a wide spectrum of ballistic threats, very high-
velocity fragments, secondary fragmentation, blunt trauma, behind armour blunt trauma and
accidents.
Manufactured using non-toxic and allergen-free materials, Kavro Military helmet does not allow water
or moisture retention over prolonged usage. MPSS (Modular Padding Suspension System) along with
helmet retention system is made from unique fungi resistant material which is allergen-free and anti-
bacterial making prolonged wear comfortable for soldiers in extreme climatic conditions. Offering ≤
10mm BABT (Behind Armour Blunt Trauma) and increased protection against fragments and shrapnel,
Military Helmet by MKU becomes the choicest headgear for soldiers on duty.

12. MKU.LTD
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