Police North Rhine-Westphalia: Titan helmets by ULBRICHTS

ULBRICHTS Protection supplies the police of the state of North Rhine-Westphalia (NRW) with ballistic titanium helmets. With the aim of ensuring the highest possible safety for the emergency services, the state government in Düsseldorf chose a helmet with the highest ballistic protection available on the market.

Effective protection against Kalashnikov ammunition

It is a helmet of the model HOPLIT F 1100 H, i.e. a titanium-aramid helmet that, in combination with the modular FORTIS visor, effectively protects against gunfire from a Kalashnikov assault rifle. This corresponds to the VPAM 6 test level of the globally recognized Association of Test Centers for Bullet Resistant Materials and Constructions (VPAM). "Achieving effective protection against gunfire from a Kalashnikov, together with the requirement for minimal weight, posed significant challenges for us," explains Georg Scharpenack, managing director of ULBRICHTS Protection. "By combining the materials titanium and aramid, and developing an innovative visor, we have made a significant technological leap in protecting police officers on duty."

Full operational readiness

Today, the first copies of the high-tech headgear were handed over in Cologne, which are also equipped with a splinter protection visor. This means that the patrol officers will soon have an effective head protection of the highest protection level. With a total weight of around 3.3 kilograms - including shield, visor, and adapter - the helmet is fully operational.

"We are very pleased that now the most populous German state of NRW has chosen our ballistic titanium helmets," says Georg Scharpenack. "Patrol officers are usually the first responders at the scene. With the selected helmet, NRW is setting new standards in terms of protection level and functionality in this area to protect those who put their lives on the line for our safety."

Background: Effective protection against bullet impact

Ballistic helmets for police officers provide effective protection against bullet impact when they reliably stop the projectile and prevent a lethal trauma to the helmet wearer. Such trauma can arise from the energy transferred during the bullet impact. Experts have defined a residual energy value of 25 joules and written it into guidelines (e.g. VPAM HVN 2009). This must not be exceeded, as otherwise irreversible or fatal head injuries may occur. The titanium-aramid helmet HOPLIT F 1100 H (VPAM 4+) in combination with the VPAM-6 visor FORTIS is able to reduce the projectile energy of a Kalashnikov projectile (7.62 mm x 39 core) of more than 2000 joules and a velocity of around 720 meters per second to well below 25 joules. A frontal head shot becomes survivable.

About ULBRICHTS Protection

ULBRICHTS Protection from Schwanenstadt (Austria), a division of ULBRICHTS Witwe GmbH, manufactures ballistic helmets made of titanium and titanium-aramid (hybrid). The company's international customer base includes special forces of the police as well as other police units and militaries. The company is a pioneer in the field of ballistic head protection and regularly sets new technical standards in terms of protection, comfort, and design.

ULBRICHTS Protection online: www.ulbrichts.com/protection