MICH TC-2000 Combat Helmet
Encyclopedia
The Modular Integrated Communications Helmet (MICH), is a combat helmet
used by the United States Army
. It was developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center to be the next generation of protective combat helmets for use by the U.S. Army. The Advanced Combat Helmet
was derived from the MICH.
as a replacement for the PASGT helmet
solely within those units. However, the Army later determined that the improvements presented by the high cut and no brim MICH over the PASGT helmet warranted organization-wide distribution.
To date, the MICH has replaced the PASGT in active United States Army
service. Some units of the Army National Guard
and Army Reserve
and Army ROTC in colleges and universities continue to use the PASGT, though its use will eventually expire.
The MICH is in use with all branches of the United States armed forces
in at least some capacity. The MICH was officially adopted as the standard issue helmet of the Air Force Security Forces
. The United States Marine Corps
evaluated the MICH during its own search for a PASGT replacement, but chose to adopt a helmet that retains the profile of the PASGT, known as the Lightweight Helmet
.
MICH helmets are available for purchase by law enforcement agencies and the public. They have become popular with various SWAT
units and private security companies
.
and provides increased protection against handgun
rounds.
A pad system and four-point retention system, similar to the cushions and straps found on bicycle helmets, replaces the nylon cord suspension system, sweatband and chinstrap found on the PASGT helmet. The change provides greater impact protection and comfort for the wearer. It can be fitted with a mounting bracket for an AN/PVS-14
monocular
night vision device (MNVD) on the front, similar to that on the PASGT helmet, as seen in the above image. It can also be fitted with a pair of straps on the rear to keep protective eyewear in place, as well as cloth helmet cover
s in varying camouflage patterns including M81 Woodland
, three-color desert, USMC MARPAT
, US Army UCP
, Crye MultiCam
, and solid black for use with SWAT teams. As with its PASGT predecessor, the MICH is often worn with a band around it which features a pair of reflective 'cat eyes' patches on the back intended to prevent friendly fire
incidents.
The MICH is also slightly smaller than the PASGT, providing 8% less coverage. This accounts for some of the reduced weight and allows for both greater situational awareness and less obstruction of the wearer's vision, particularly when combined with Interceptor body armor
. Previously, soldiers had complained that the high collar of the Interceptor pushed the back of the helmet forward, in turn moving the helmet brim over their eyes when they attempted to fire from a prone position.
Combat helmet
A combat helmet or battle helmet is a type of personal armor designed specifically to protect the head during combat. Helmets are among the oldest forms of personal protective equipment and are known to have been worn by the Akkadians/Sumerians in the 23rd century BC, Mycenaean Greeks since 17th...
used by the United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
. It was developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center to be the next generation of protective combat helmets for use by the U.S. Army. The Advanced Combat Helmet
Advanced Combat Helmet
The Advanced Combat Helmet is the United States Army's current combat helmet. It was developed by the United States Army Soldier Systems Center to be the next generation of protective combat helmets for use by the U.S. Army...
was derived from the MICH.
History
The MICH was originally part of a series of combat helmets designed for the United States Army Special Operations CommandUnited States Army Special Operations Command
The United States Army Special Operations Command is the command charged with overseeing the various Special Operations Forces...
as a replacement for the PASGT helmet
Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops
Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops, sometimes abbreviated to PASGT, was a combat helmet and ballistic vest used by the American military from the mid 1980s until 2005, when the system was succeeded by the Lightweight Helmet, Modular Integrated Communications Helmet, and Interceptor body...
solely within those units. However, the Army later determined that the improvements presented by the high cut and no brim MICH over the PASGT helmet warranted organization-wide distribution.
To date, the MICH has replaced the PASGT in active United States Army
United States Army
The United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
service. Some units of the Army National Guard
Army National Guard
Established under Title 10 and Title 32 of the U.S. Code, the Army National Guard is part of the National Guard and is divided up into subordinate units stationed in each of the 50 states, three territories and the District of Columbia operating under their respective governors...
and Army Reserve
United States Army Reserve
The United States Army Reserve is the federal reserve force of the United States Army. Together, the Army Reserve and the Army National Guard constitute the reserve components of the United States Army....
and Army ROTC in colleges and universities continue to use the PASGT, though its use will eventually expire.
The MICH is in use with all branches of the United States armed forces
Military of the United States
The United States Armed Forces are the military forces of the United States. They consist of the Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard.The United States has a strong tradition of civilian control of the military...
in at least some capacity. The MICH was officially adopted as the standard issue helmet of the Air Force Security Forces
Air Force Security Forces
United States Air Force Security Forces are the Military Police, Base Security and Air Base Ground Defense forces of the United States Air Force...
. The United States Marine Corps
United States Marine Corps
The United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
evaluated the MICH during its own search for a PASGT replacement, but chose to adopt a helmet that retains the profile of the PASGT, known as the Lightweight Helmet
Lightweight Helmet
The Lightweight Helmet is the U.S. Marine Corps replacement for the PASGT combat helmet. As it is nearly identical to untrained eyes in shape to the PASGT, it is still called the Fritz helmet or K-pot...
.
MICH helmets are available for purchase by law enforcement agencies and the public. They have become popular with various SWAT
SWAT
A SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
units and private security companies
Private military company
A private military company or provides military and security services. These combatants are commonly known as mercenaries, though modern-day PMCs refer to their staff as security contractors, private military contractors or private security contractors, and refer to themselves as private military...
.
Design
The MICH ranges in weight from about 3 lbs (1.36 kg) (size medium) to just over 3.6 lb (1.63 kg) (extra large). It uses a new, more advanced type of KevlarKevlar
Kevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
and provides increased protection against handgun
Handgun
A handgun is a firearm designed to be held and operated by one hand. This characteristic differentiates handguns as a general class of firearms from long guns such as rifles and shotguns ....
rounds.
A pad system and four-point retention system, similar to the cushions and straps found on bicycle helmets, replaces the nylon cord suspension system, sweatband and chinstrap found on the PASGT helmet. The change provides greater impact protection and comfort for the wearer. It can be fitted with a mounting bracket for an AN/PVS-14
AN/PVS-14
The AN/PVS-14 Monocular Night Vision Device is in widespread use by US Armed Forces as well as NATO allies around the world. It uses a third generation image intensifier tube, and is manufactured by Litton Industries as well as the ITT Corporation...
monocular
Monocular
A monocular is a modified refracting telescope used to magnify the images of distant objects by passing light through a series of lenses and sometimes prisms; the use of prisms results in a lightweight telescope. Volume and weight are less than half those of binoculars of similar optical...
night vision device (MNVD) on the front, similar to that on the PASGT helmet, as seen in the above image. It can also be fitted with a pair of straps on the rear to keep protective eyewear in place, as well as cloth helmet cover
Helmet cover
The helmet cover was first used by French soldiers during World War I.Helmet covers are usually made out of canvas or cotton and come in many camouflage designs, for example: woodland, desert or urban, and different camouflage patterns like MARPAT, CADPAT and ACUPAT. It can also be used for UN...
s in varying camouflage patterns including M81 Woodland
M81 Woodland
Woodland pattern is the name of the default camouflage pattern issued to United States soldiers, Marines, airmen, and sailors from 1981, with the issue of the M81 Battle Dress Uniform until nearly the present day...
, three-color desert, USMC MARPAT
MARPAT
MARPAT is a digital camouflage pattern in use with the United States Marine Corps, introduced with the Marine Corps Combat Utility Uniform , which replaced the Camouflage Utility Uniform. The pattern is formed by a number of small rectangular pixels of color...
, US Army UCP
Universal Camouflage Pattern
The Universal Camouflage Pattern , also referred to as ACUPAT or Digital Camouflage is the military camouflage pattern currently in use in the United States Army's Army Combat Uniform. The pattern was chosen after several laboratory and field tests that occurred from 2003 to 2004...
, Crye MultiCam
MultiCam
MultiCam is a single camouflage pattern designed to help the wearer hide in varied environments, seasons, elevations, and light conditions. It is a 7-color, multi-environment camouflage pattern developed by Crye Associates in conjunction with U.S. Army Soldier Systems Center...
, and solid black for use with SWAT teams. As with its PASGT predecessor, the MICH is often worn with a band around it which features a pair of reflective 'cat eyes' patches on the back intended to prevent friendly fire
Friendly fire
Friendly fire is inadvertent firing towards one's own or otherwise friendly forces while attempting to engage enemy forces, particularly where this results in injury or death. A death resulting from a negligent discharge is not considered friendly fire...
incidents.
The MICH is also slightly smaller than the PASGT, providing 8% less coverage. This accounts for some of the reduced weight and allows for both greater situational awareness and less obstruction of the wearer's vision, particularly when combined with Interceptor body armor
Interceptor body armor
Interceptor Body Armor is the United States Army's primary bulletproof vest. The Interceptor design replaced the older fragmentation protective Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops body armor system, introduced in the early 1980s...
. Previously, soldiers had complained that the high collar of the Interceptor pushed the back of the helmet forward, in turn moving the helmet brim over their eyes when they attempted to fire from a prone position.
Users
-
- Czech 601. skss601st Special Forces GroupThe 601st Special Forces Group of general Moravec is a special forces unit of the Czech Armed Forces. It was officially created in 2003, the product of reorganizations in the Military of the Czech Republic in this year...
- Czech 601. skss
-
- Iraqi ArmyIraqi ArmyThe Iraqi Army is the land component of the Iraqi military, active in various forms since being formed by the British during their mandate over the country after World War I....
- Iraqi Army
-
- Italian special forcesItalian special forcesThe Italian Special Forces include special forces units from several branches of the Italian Military: the Esercito Italiano or Army, the Marina Militare or Navy, the Aeronautica Militare or Air force and l'Arma dei Carabinieri...
- Italian special forces
-
- Armée de Terre
- French Army Special Forces BrigadeFrench Army Special Forces BrigadeThe Army Special Forces Brigade is the French Army's special forces unit. It is based in Pau, Pyrénées-Atlantiques.- History :The BFST is the heir of the Groupement Spécial Autonome created in 1997 and then commanded the 1er RPIMa and a special operations flight belonging to the 4e Régiment...
- 11th Parachute Brigade11th Parachute BrigadeThe 11th Parachute Brigade is an airborne unit. It contains most of the parachute units in the French army.The brigade numbers around 8,500 personnel and includes eight regiments. It is under command of a général de brigade...
- Chasseurs Alpins
- French Army Special Forces Brigade
- Marine NationaleFrench NavyThe French Navy, officially the Marine nationale and often called La Royale is the maritime arm of the French military. It includes a full range of fighting vessels, from patrol boats to a nuclear powered aircraft carrier and 10 nuclear-powered submarines, four of which are capable of launching...
- Commandos MarineNaval commandos (France)The Naval Commandos are the special forces of the French Navy. They are made up of ~500 members, mostly based in northwestern France , with several bases across the country for specific training needs. The Naval Commandos are nicknamed bérets verts . Their qualification training is one of the...
- Commandos Marine
- Armée de Terre
- NetherlandsNetherlandsThe Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
- Korps CommandotroepenKorps CommandotroepenThe Korps Commandotroepen are the elite special forces of the Royal Netherlands Army. It is one of the two principal units tasked with special operations in the Netherlands , and it is deployable anywhere in the world under any circumstance, conducting all conceivable missions from...
- Korps Mariniers
- EKAMSpecial Anti-Terrorist UnitThe Special Suppressive Anti-Terrorist Unit is the Greek counter-terrorism unit of the Hellenic Police. It is the most distinguished part of the Hellenic Police...
- Special ForcesSpecial forcesSpecial forces, or special operations forces are terms used to describe elite military tactical teams trained to perform high-risk dangerous missions that conventional units cannot perform...
- Korps Commandotroepen
- Denmark
-
- U.S. ArmyUnited States ArmyThe United States Army is the main branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for land-based military operations. It is the largest and oldest established branch of the U.S. military, and is one of seven U.S. uniformed services...
- United States Marine CorpsUnited States Marine CorpsThe United States Marine Corps is a branch of the United States Armed Forces responsible for providing power projection from the sea, using the mobility of the United States Navy to deliver combined-arms task forces rapidly. It is one of seven uniformed services of the United States...
- U.S. Air ForceUnited States Air ForceThe United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
- Air Force Special Operations CommandAir Force Special Operations CommandAir Force Special Operations Command is the Special Operations component of the United States Air Force and the US Air Force component command to the United States Special Operations Command , a unified command located at MacDill Air Force Base, Florida...
- Air Force Security ForcesAir Force Security ForcesUnited States Air Force Security Forces are the Military Police, Base Security and Air Base Ground Defense forces of the United States Air Force...
- Air Force Special Operations Command
- Various police SWATSWATA SWAT team is an elite tactical unit in various national law enforcement departments. They are trained to perform high-risk operations that fall outside of the abilities of regular officers...
units
- U.S. Army
-
- Austrian Armed Forces
- JagdkommandoJagdkommandoThe Jagdkommando is the Austrian Armed Forces' Special Operations group. The duties of this elite unit match those of its foreign counterparts, such as the United States Army Special Forces, being amongst others Counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency...
- Jagdkommando
- Austrian Armed Forces
-
- Japan Coast GuardJapan Coast GuardThe , formerly the Maritime Safety Agency, is the Japanese coast guard. Comprising about 12,000 personnel, it is under the oversight of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, and is responsible for the protection the coast-lines of Japan...
- Georgian land forcesGeorgian Land ForcesThe Georgian Ground Forces are the land force component of the Georgian Armed Forces. They are the largest branch of the military and constitute the bulk of the GAF.-History:...
- Georgian MIA special forces
- Japan Coast Guard
See also
- Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops Helmet
- Army Combat UniformArmy Combat UniformThe Army Combat Uniform is the current combat uniform worn by the United States Army. It is the successor to the Battle Dress Uniform and Desert Camouflage Uniform worn during the 1980s and 1990s. It features a number of design changes, as well as a different camouflage pattern from its...
- SPECTRA helmetSPECTRA helmetThe SPECTRA helmet or CGF Gallet Combat Helmet is the ballistic helmet currently in use in the French military, as well as in the armies of several other countries. Built by CGF Gallet , it weighs , is available in two sizes, and is made from Spectra fibers, produced under license from Honeywell...
- Interceptor body armorInterceptor body armorInterceptor Body Armor is the United States Army's primary bulletproof vest. The Interceptor design replaced the older fragmentation protective Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops body armor system, introduced in the early 1980s...
- Lightweight HelmetLightweight HelmetThe Lightweight Helmet is the U.S. Marine Corps replacement for the PASGT combat helmet. As it is nearly identical to untrained eyes in shape to the PASGT, it is still called the Fritz helmet or K-pot...
- KevlarKevlarKevlar is the registered trademark for a para-aramid synthetic fiber, related to other aramids such as Nomex and Technora. Developed at DuPont in 1965, this high strength material was first commercially used in the early 1970s as a replacement for steel in racing tires...
- Mk. 6 HelmetMk. 6 HelmetThe Mk. 6 helmet is the standard combat helmet of the British Armed Forces. The Mk6 replaced the Mk. 5 Helmet in service from 1986 and is designed to accept modern ear protection, personal radios, and respirators...
—current helmet used by the British Armed forces - MICH 2001
External links
- Advanced Combat Helmet—GlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.orgGlobalSecurity.org, launched in 2000, is a public policy organization focusing on the fields of defense, space exploration, intelligence, weapons of mass destruction and homeland security...
- Advanced helmets—BodyArmorNews.com
- MICH and ACH—Olivedrab.com
- US Military Taking Delivery of Advanced Combat Helmets—Defense Industry Daily