The time for soldiers to wear feathered hats, shakos and peaked caps is long gone. But the various protective helmets that the battle armor has transformed into return from the past. Despite the fact that the pedigree of the helmet dates back to ancient times, thanks to developing technologies, it has been possible to create a wide variety of new models that can provide the maximum level of protection. The Altyn helmet became one of the most effective means of protection.
Steel helmets
Until the twentieth century, steel was used to make helmets. Such means could only provide protection against stones and small fragments flying at low speed. Steel helmets were effective in cases where a striking element weighing no more than one kilogram hit the head. If the speed of the fragment exceeded 650 m / s, it already posed a serious danger to the fighter. According toAccording to statistics, during the Great Patriotic War, it was precisely such destructive weapons that were the most common.
The need for better security
In the late 50s, due to the intensive development of armaments of the armies of different countries of the world, the Soviet military leadership, more than ever, faced the need to improve the protection of military personnel and law enforcement officers. The army and law enforcement agencies needed to be provided with modernized helmets that meet international standards. The Altyn helmet, which began to be developed at the Research Institute of Steel in 1980, became such a means of protection. The Swiss Tig, which has been used by anti-terrorist special forces in Europe for two years already, was used as the basis for the future helmet.
December 27, 1979, the Tig was tested by Alpha KGB fighters in Afghanistan during the assault on Amin's palace. The quality of the Swiss helmet was appreciated by the leadership of the Soviet state security, and limited quantities of Tig were purchased purely for the needs of the KGB. It was on the model of this product that the Altyn helmet was designed.
Start creating a new helmet
The leadership of the special forces of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Union in 1980 handed over to the specialists of the Research Institute of Steel a model of the Tig helmet. The workers were instructed to create their own domestic helmet based on this Swiss model, which should not be inferior to the foreign model in terms of technical performance. Additionally, as source material, employeesThe KGB provided the engineers with all the necessary information on the manufacture of titanium helmets, collected at the time by the Austrian company Ulbrichts.
Research institute developments
By the mid-80s, employees of the Institute of Steel made a titanium shell for the future means of protection. An armored visor was also designed, with which it was planned to equip the Altyn in the future. The helmet (original product), created at the Institute of Steel, was handed over to state security officers in 1984. Its final assembly was already carried out by specialists of the KGB of the USSR. They also equipped the Altyn helmet with all the necessary intercom radio headset.
What was finalized by the KGB specialists?
The model of the helmet given by the designers of the research institute was a dome that had only a titanium shell. There was no aramid support in the design of the product. The titanium shell did not exceed 0.4 cm. State security specialists equipped the helmet with aramid support and reduced the thickness of the titanium to 0.3 cm.
Created according to the Swiss model, the domestic protective agent had a slightly different form, but in terms of quality it turned out to be no less reliable than Tig. The Soviet helmet differed from the foreign model in the type and location of the radio headset. Some Altyn models were never equipped with intercoms.
KGB officers created several versions of the helmet, which differed in the following parameters:
- location of protective boxes for buttons;
- connectors;
- type of liner;
- the size of the armored glass visor for the visor.
Soviet specialists also created a version of the helmet with a fabric cover. Compared to the Swiss Tig, the Altyn helmet turned out to be larger.
Description
Shockproof fiberglass and titanium were used to make the protective agent.
- In the early models of the helmet, the thickness of the titanium shell was 0.4 cm.
- In samples produced during 1984-1990, the titanium layer was reduced to 0.3 cm, and aramid support and a radio headset were added to the helmet design.
- "Altyn" consisted of a solid dome. There were no seams in the construction of this item.
- The product was equipped with a rubber edging.
- The weight of the helmet ranged from 3.5 to 4.0 kilograms.
- The model was equipped with a special polycarbonate glass visor.
- Some versions have been provided with a case.
- A unique suspension system was installed on the Altyn helmet, with which it could be easily adjusted to the size of the head.
- Some versions were equipped with intercoms.
Who used the protective agent?
During the Soviet Union "Altyn" was used by the KGB (groups "A", "B" and "C"), was used by the fighters of "Alpha" and "Vympel" during the military conflict in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Until 2014, the equipment of special forces soldiers necessarily included the Altyn helmet.
Characteristics of the helmet
"Altyn" is able to protect the head from bullets, edged weapons, grenade fragments, shells and mines. The dome of the product belongs to the 2nd class of protection, the armored steel visor - to the 1st. Preventing a possible contusion of a fighter as a result of a fall or impact is another function provided by the Altyn helmet. A photo of an armored helmet is presented in the article.
Alternative helmet design
During the years of the Soviet Union, the KGB took control of the creation of this helmet. It was the state security officers who carried out the final assembly of the Altyn. After the collapse of the USSR, the situation did not change: the baton was taken over by the Federal Security Service of Russia. The current situation did not quite suit the engineers of the Steel Research Institute, who sought, as developers, to completely control the assembly of the helmet from start to finish.
It was possible to get rid of the control of the FSB by creating a new model of the Kb-3 armored protective equipment, which completely copied the Altyn helmet. The disadvantages of the new helmet were the lack of a radio headset necessary to maintain communication between the fighters. In addition, the visor limiters in the new model were riveted, and not screwed as in the Altyns. Nevertheless, Kb-3 became a very high-quality copy of the Altyn and was completely assembled from 1990 to 2014 exclusively by the institute's employees. Today, mass production of these models has been discontinued.
How to make a helmet at home?
For those wholikes to make, it will not be difficult to make an Altyn helmet with your own hands if you do the work in stages:
- First, you need to choose a helmet that could become the basis for "Altyn". To do this, you can use the old Soviet model of the open type. According to reviews, Salyut is ideal.
- Remove all contents from the purchased helmet. Leave only the outer shell. You can also leave a foam balaclava.
- Use fine-grained sandpaper to erase the varnish from the surface of the helmet. It is advisable not to touch the factory paint, since it is laid on an already primed plastic surface. In the future, the new paint will lie on it more evenly, and the master will not have to additionally buy various plasticizers to improve adhesion. When removing varnish, it is better to use car sandpaper No. 400. Coarse-grained sandpaper is not advisable, as it can scratch the plastic.
- Sand the surface. No scratches should remain on the helmet for painting. If they do exist, then it is advisable to grind them carefully. The paint will lay down well and hold on for a long time if the surface has no flaws.
- For painting, you can use acrylic, model or enamel paint. The surface must be degreased before application. The product must be painted in several layers. Before applying each new layer, the previous one should dry well and not stick to the fingers. You can speed up the drying process with a hair dryer. During operation, care must be taken tono leaks on the helmet.
- Cover the helmet with acrylic varnish. It is possible that after drying the surface will shine strongly. You can fix this with a small piece of sandpaper. As a result, the future helmet will receive a discreet matte shade. The varnishing procedure can be omitted if the future helmet is planned to be equipped with a cover.
The final step is to glue the edging and suspension system. It can be strap or leather. Images of the Altyn helmet can be found on the Internet. It already depends on the master which version he wants to create.
Is this helmet in use today?
In the 1980s, the effective use of "Altynov" in many military conflicts allowed him to take the place of honor of the "king of helmets." This protective agent could often be seen in the movies, in photographs. This helmet was used to create equipment for the heroes of computer games. Employees of department "A" and "B" of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Union appreciated this titanium armor.
Despite the termination of mass production of armored helmets of this model, "Altyn" has not lost its relevance. It is still used today by members of the Russian security forces, and former special forces soldiers speak of Altyn as one of the best means of protection.
Prospects
Today, intensively developing technologies allow creating new models of armored helmets from light and durable polymers. A prime example of such equipmentis "Kiver". Compared to Altyn, the new protective agent provides the fighter with greater freedom of action and reduces fatigue. It is also possible to install lighting equipment on the Kiver.
Military experts say polymer helmets are the future of protective equipment.
