Last month, the German government was openly mocked after it showed its support for Ukraine by sending 5,000 combat helmets. While German justice minister Christine Lambrecht said the planned delivery would send a “very clear signal” that Germany stands by Ukraine amid rising tensions with Russia, the move was slammed as an “absolute joke” by Kyiv’s Mayor Vitali Klitschko.

Perhaps Germany should respond to the request for proposal (RFP) from the Indian Army, which looks to purchase some 80,000 ballistic helmets. Specifically, the Indian military is seeking helmets that provide greater protection against high-velocity bullets—and that includes being capable of protecting the wear from 7.62x39mm mild steel core bullets at a range of 10 meters (32.8 feet). In addition, the helmets would need to lessen the impact from high-speed blast fragments from explosives.

“Ballistic helmets with 9 mm bullet protection are inducted in situ of fiberglass helmets. With the threat of bullets of 7.62 x thirty-nine mm to soldiers, there’s a desire to incorporate ballistic helmets with higher safety standards,” the RFP issued by Army Headquarters noted. “The current threat on the road of management and therefore the Line of Actual management and the anti-terrorism setting needs minimum protection against high-speed rifle bullets and fragments of the blast.”

The reported muzzle velocity of a 7.62-millimeter AK-47 assault rifle is 2,350 feet (716 meters) per second, almost twice the 1,312 feet (399 meters) per second speed of an MP-5 submachine gun bullet, The DefensePost reported.

Helmet Specifications

The Indian RFP also called for the helmets to include tactical rails for the mounting of night-vision devices, face visors, torches/flashlights and in-service radio communication sets.

Of the 80,000 ballistic helmets that the Indian army seeks to procure, 3,600 will be allocated for troops deployed on anti-terrorist operations. The evolving threats along the country’s borders with China and Pakistan have necessitated the need for protection against high-speed rifle bullets and blast fragments, Indian Army officials have noted.

The indigenous content of the helmet must be at least 50 percent—keeping in line with New Delhi’s Make In India initiative.

India Arms Up

The helmets are just the latest part of the Indian Army’s efforts to further modernize. It recently issued new contracts to acquire the Sig Sauer 716 and AK-203 assault rifles to replace the indigenously-designed INSAS. The Sig 716 G2 Patrol assault/battlefield rifles will be used to equip 400+ infantry battalions. The rifles were procured under a fast-tracked process” (FTP) for use with troops posted at the borders as well as those involved in counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

New Delhi has also moved forward with a contract with Russia, to produce some 600,000 AK-203 assault rifles in India under license. Additionally, based on its past experiences in counter terrorist operations and asymmetric warfare, the Indian Army is now opting for higher caliber personal weapons with the objective of “shoot to kill” rather than the post-world war Western philosophy of “shoot to incapacitate” by using lighter bullets as wounded soldiers created additional administrative and logistical problems for the enemy.

Peter Suciu is a Michigan-based writer who has contributed to more than four dozen magazines, newspapers and websites. He regularly writes about military small arms, and is the author of several books on military headgear including A Gallery of Military Headdress, which is available on Amazon.com.

Image: Reuters.