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Different helmet and mask setup


mohawkALSE
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I have a 80s era SPH-4 helmet that was modified for use with the cut-away face plate type AN/PVS-5 NVGs. The surgical tubing that wrapped around the helmet is toast so that will need to be replaced at some point. I decided to show a rather uncommon (in the Army at least) oxygen mask setup, mounting a MBU-5/P Quick-Don mask with the SPH-4. This was in fact done in the Army by some fixed wing aviators and also available for rotary wing use if a O2 system was installed. It is shown in the 1984 dated Army FM 1-302 with a SPH-4, but the QD MBU-5s were more commonly used in the USAF with the H-157 type headsets. When headset worn, a special head harness that mounted to the headset was used that had the snaps for the mask to attach to. The SPH-4 series helmets had O2 mask snaps mounted above the chin straps on the ear cup retention assembly. A special wiring harness is on the quick-don assembly which is a unique feature of the setup. When the setup is worn, the boom mics wire is unplugged from the headset jack on the rear of the helmet or headset. The cord on the mask has a Y split with a mic plug and a mic jack, the mic plug is plugged into the helmet or headsets headset jack and then the boom mics cord is plugged into that jack on the masks cord. This allows both mics to be plugged in but the way the system on the mask is wired up allows only one mic to be hot. When the mask is in the donned position, the mask mic is hot and the boom cold, then when they mask is released by pulling the black knob this disconnects the mask mic and makes the boom mic hot again. The mask when not worn will hang at your chest.

 

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Dig it...never seen the mask attached before ....attached to the SPH helmets...knew the snaps were there...good to see how they come together..true about the headset rigs in the AF...

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Yeah the SPH-4 from its start in 1969 had snaps located on that ear cup retention assembly. The 69-76 retention assemblies had 4 snaps attached over leather strips, bottom 2 were for the chin strap as they had removable snap on chin straps and the top 2 snaps for O2 mask mounting. The 78 through the 80s dated helmets had a new more crash worthy non removable chin strap setup but still had 2 snaps on each side above the chin strap for O2 mounting. Some replacement ear cup retention assemblies in the late 80s and early 90s actually didn't have the snaps for the O2 masks. By that time it was already common practice to have the Cast O2 mask receivers mounted to the shell and using T or J bayonets on the masks, no more snap strap kits. Three types of snap mounting could be used with the SPH-4, the early hook setup like WW2 and Korea era masks had with the metal snap on hook retention (not sure what the actual technical term is on those), then the MS-22001 and MBU-5 masks had snap on strap retention setups, or this Quick Don snap on setup. I'll post some pics of the other snap retention setups and then probably follow up the SPH-4 using bayonet receivers.

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These are 2 of the other snap retention assemblies used on the SPH-4 but using the MS-22001 oxygen mask. You can see the the pic with just the hardshell has the earlier snap retention I mentioned in my last reply like what was used from the WW2, Korea and early 60s before the bayonet system was used. The hardshell installed on the mask is a later 60s and 70s era single snap retention setup. These are all pieces from veteran OV-1 Mohawk pilots. The mask is a fairly standard Army setup with the MC-3A connector, and the long mic cable with the M-133 mic inside. These snap and sometimes the bayonet setup if available were used around the Vietnam conflict and after. Later it was all bayonet retention setups.

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This is the snap retention harness for a standard non quick don MBU-5/P mask. These and the regular bayonet retention assemblies were used with MBU-5s in the Army. Going back to the SPH-4 helmet itself, once the newer SPH-4B came out in 1991 there were no more snap studs installed any longer as the bayonet system was the standard. It has come to my attention recently that in the early 90s some OV-1 pilots at Ft Rucker were issued the new lightweight dual visor SPH-4B with a O2 mask setup. Most OV-1 aviators in the late 70s thru early 90s had standard single visor SPH-4s with the cast bayonet receivers installed on the helmet. I hadn't seen the SPH-4B setup til recently talking to a Mohawk pilot. The Mohawks that Argentina used up til recently had a mix of SPH-4 and 4B helmets used with the O2 setups so it was news to me seeing the US Army used the 4B in Mohawks shortly as well. Most people always think that a SPH-4 commonly thought as a helicopter helmet only wouldn't be used in a fixed wing aircraft with ejection seats.

 

Later SPH-4 O2 mask setups had a internal rework of the comm system to make things easier with boom mics and oxygen mask mics which I will get to posting soon. They removed the whole headset comm systems which has a wired in ICS cord with the standard Army and AF U-174 plug. The boom mic round mount was also removed. Cast O2 mask bayonet receivers are installed and a MT-1627/AIC offset boom mic mount is installed on the left hand O2 bayonet receiver for the boom mic. Internally a USAF type CX-4708/AIC headset cable is installed like what a USAF HGU-2, 26 or 55/P helmet would have installed which lacks a ICS cord since USAF helmets usually use a O2 mask coiled comm cord with the U-174 plug. With this setup though, the masks dont use that coilded cord but plugged into the helmets boom mic and headset jack is a ICS cord with a plug that also has a mic jack and switch to change between the Mask mic and Boom mic. The O2 mask will have just a mic cable which ends up being plugged into that mic jack on the ICS cord. it is a similar setup to what the USAF uses on Airlift configuration helmets.

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  • 3 weeks later...

MohawkAlse, Like to hear about the mohawks,if ok. Last I saw of the mohawk were at camp Humphreys south Korea 1990. They flew the DMZ 24/7 all type of weather. I was a huey and Blackhawk crewchief for 15 years, I was the alse man too. We has the sph-4B then went to the HGU56p. Thanks

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Finally got around to taking some pics of the later setup the Army used with SPH-4s in the Mohawk and other aircraft with oxygen systems installed. These were around in the 80s into the 90s as this setup. A little earlier they installed the Cast O2 receivers on the SPH-4 with the offset boom mount but they left the headset configs stock. This later version had the original headset config with a wired in ICS cable with the U-174 plug removed, and a USAF HGU style CX-4708 headset cable installed, and a removable ICS cord that had the boom/mask switchable TPSJ-101 plug on it that has a mic plug jack for the masks mic cord. The O2 masks (MBU-5 or MBU-12) only needed a mic cord installed, not one of the coiled "jet jock" style ICS cables. This helmet is size XL, 88 dated and has a mid 80s green MBU-12.

 

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Couple pics showing the changes, the rear has the headset jack of the CX-4708 with the lock release button which a standard SPH-4 would not have. The standard SPH would have a mic jack there with shrink tubing covering it in those brackets. Also the strain relief assemble is moved from the inside rear of the helmet and mounted externally as shown where the ICS cable is tied to. Also a close up pic of the TPSJ-101 plug showing the mask mic jack on top and the Boom-Mask switch.

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Here is another similar helmet, but size Regular, same 88 date. I took the pic without the mask attached to show this one has a later replacement ear cup retention assembly which had deleted the 4 extra snaps above the chin strap for the older snap retention assemblies for oxygen masks. The XL helmet has an original ear cup retention assembly with the O2 snaps but they weren't visible with the O2 mask offset bayonets in place.

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  • 1 month later...

Just another addition to this thread.....this set was issued with an APH-5 helmet. The fella flew Recon in Vietnam for the Army in light fixed wing aircraft and later switched to Helicopters. He never needed it, so never attached it.

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Awesome find being NOS pretty much. Thats like one of my MS masks and then I have a white Army APH-5 that has those exact Sierra self adjust bayonet recievers. That gentleman could have been in a unit that had O-1s and switch to OV-1s before going to rotary wing. People in Mohawks did get masks but not all of them ever used them. Back then it depended on what type of Hawk you were in. As and Cs usually stayed low and fast for their missions As doing VR and Cs doing IR. The B used SLAR at altitude so it was really the only type needing masks for their missions. This continued on with the D being a platform for all types of Mohawk mission, VR, IR and SLAR depending on what they installed. Whats the date on that mask you have? Does the face piece have the foam padding or just blank silicone? Also does it have the M-133 mic or another type?

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This is the helmet I was talking about. I wish I could still find the pic of the rear, has a big Grumman Mohawk Indian decal on the back. Was the type they used to put on the aircraft in the early 60s but they just cut out the Indians shape and applied it to the helmet.

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