thorin6 Posted October 19, 2019 Share #1 Posted October 19, 2019 Picked up these four helmets today at a nearby swap meet. Didn’t pay much. Three of them are fairly self-explanatory. On the left is the normal PASGT, dated 86-87. Next is the SDS Warrior helmet, size is XL. The third from left I’ll explain in minute, and the one on the right is (I’ve been told, not verified) an Israeli helmet. The person I bought these from said he used to work for American Defense Systems, which (from an internet search) was formed in 2002 in Apex, NC (the swap meet was in Lillington, NC, about 30 miles away from Apex). He told me he found them in the back of his garage and hadn’t realized he still had them. He just wanted to get rid of them so I picked up the four helmets for $30. Then he explained the odd, blocky shaped helmet. It was a prototype that the company put together to try to get a contract. However, even though it was ballistically superior to the current ACH/MICH helmets, it weighed too much for the military (it seems to weigh about as much as two PASGTs, to be honest). Given the price, I took it for the research interest. However, there is not much information on American Defense Systems. There are multiple companies by that name, one offers home security systems (out of Texas), and one (out of New York) provides security services for various companies. As best I determine the company hit some hard financial times in 2008, and according the person selling me the helmets, now only has two employees. No idea how the helmet is made, the internals are pretty much the standard ACH/MICH/Warrior four point systems, with various pads secured with Velcro. If anyone has more information, please feel free to add to this post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share #2 Posted October 19, 2019 Shots of the Prototype: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share #3 Posted October 19, 2019 More: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 19, 2019 Author Share #4 Posted October 19, 2019 Last top of helmet: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve B. Posted October 19, 2019 Share #5 Posted October 19, 2019 That's pretty interesting! m I hope someone can provide some more information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sgtdorango Posted October 19, 2019 Share #6 Posted October 19, 2019 Wow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted October 20, 2019 Share #7 Posted October 20, 2019 that is super cool! $30 is a steal, worth it for the ACH/MICH alone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patches Posted October 20, 2019 Share #8 Posted October 20, 2019 Wow that's wierd looking, it's got a certain medieval quality to it all say. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cap Camouflage Pattern I Posted October 20, 2019 Share #9 Posted October 20, 2019 There is also this "American Defense Systems Inc." located in Lillington NC, and they say they were given a contract in 2009 by the Office of Naval Research to investigate helmet materials. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1260996/000114420412022015/v309309_10k.htm Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share #10 Posted October 20, 2019 There is also this "American Defense Systems Inc." located in Lillington NC, and they say they were given a contract in 2009 by the Office of Naval Research to investigate helmet materials. https://www.sec.gov/Archives/edgar/data/1260996/000114420412022015/v309309_10k.htm Thanks for the link, it ties together some disparate business filings and may help explain the company. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 20, 2019 Author Share #11 Posted October 20, 2019 that is super cool! $30 is a steal, worth it for the ACH/MICH alone I thought so; he wanted $10 apiece, so I offered $30 for the bunch. And then I saw a piece of armor plate for a Vietnam era armored vest and got it for $5. And then I walked down a couple of vendors and picked up a duffel bag for $5 to carry everything the 1/2 mile back to the car. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GeneralCheese Posted October 23, 2019 Share #12 Posted October 23, 2019 Have you tried turning your mesh quality to high? Jokes aside that is really interesting. Great find! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6th.MG.BN Posted October 23, 2019 Share #13 Posted October 23, 2019 Interesting helmet. Thanks for sharing. Ken Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BOLO Posted October 23, 2019 Share #14 Posted October 23, 2019 The prototype helmet is interesting, thats going to make a nice display piece, probably not very many of those around, kind of rare? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thorin6 Posted October 24, 2019 Author Share #15 Posted October 24, 2019 The prototype helmet is interesting, thats going to make a nice display piece, probably not very many of those around, kind of rare? As best I can tell, there can be only one. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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