Indian-headquartered MKU has developed what it bills as “a first-of-its-kind rifle-rated ballistic helmet”.
The Kavro Doma 360 was unveiled by the company at this year’s Milipol Paris exhibition, which opened on 14 November.
MKU states that the Kavro Doma 360 is “the first anti-rifle helmet in the world that does not have bolts or any metal parts”, noting that “when a helmet is bolted the risk of the bolt penetrating the skull on impact is higher due to weakened areas”.
The Kavro Doma 360, MKU adds, “is leading the industry in uniformly protecting against threats [ammunition natures] like the AK-47 MSC, M80 NATO ball, and M193 rifle bullets, proven by five rounds of bullets tested in five zones of the head (front, back, left, right, crown) without the need of add-on armour”.
“It’s the first time in the world that a rifle-rated helmet can maintain a resulting back face signature/trauma of less than 20 mm against bullet impact from AK-47 bullets (7.62 x 39mm MSC at 710 +15m/s from 10 m),” MKU stated in its press release, explaining that the “back face signature is a way to measure how much a protective helmet deforms or indents on the inside due to the impact of a high-energy bullet. The Kavro Doma 360 absorbs impact, substantially reducing the risk of injury due to resulting trauma to the wearer’s head.”
The Kavro Doma 360 helmet is engineered to provide additional protection not just from straight impacts from any direction but also from rotational/angular impacts, which are known to cause concussions or brain injuries.
The helmet, the weight of which starts at 1.45 kg for a small-sized example, comes with a top-to-chin (longitudinal) and side-to-side (lateral) harness adjustment functionality to ensure high stability and a snug fit. It also allows integration of all advanced head-mounted devices and combat equipment such as night-vision devices, communication devices, masks, mandibles and torches.
Neeraj Gupta, managing director of MKU, was quoted by the company as saying, “Our commitment to our heroes has been unwavering since we first got into soldier protection. The Doma 360 is the culmination of five years of relentless R&D and the uncompromising resolve to develop this for forces globally. All of us at MKU are filled with emotion because we have finally been able to take it to the world.”
