MC-140 Helicopter Helmet

[bryang]

Picked this up over the weekend.

 

At first I took it to be either some form of fire-fighting gear or perhaps a variation of a tank crewman's helmet.

 

The decal inside it says otherwise, and I subsequently found a few photos of this online.

 

 

What I don't know is what this setup was used for. I'm guessing that this might be from the '80's, however I'm not familiar with this style helmet. I served 28 years in the Army and never saw one like this being worn. Were these used for a specific purpose?

 

I'd appreciate an education on these.

 

 

Thanks -

 

Bryan

 

 

 

 

 

[bryang]

And:

 

 

 

 

[Fly USMC]

I have seen photos of HSTs (Helicopter Support Teams) or HLTs (Helicopter Landing Teams) wearing these. These guys are in the HLZ (Helicopter Landing Zone) that hook up external loads under Helicopters.

 

These weren't used in the late 1990s or early 2000s, but I can see how they would help protect the person wearing one from the tons of debit that a large Helicopter like the CH-53 or CH-47 does stir up.

[northcoastaero]

Interesting helmet. The helmet's communication cable appears to be the same type as a combat vehicle crewman's (CVC) helmet. The date of mfr. on your helmet appears to be March 1982.