The time for soldiers to use hats with feathers, shakos and caps with visors has long passed. But the various protective helmets into which the battle armor was transformed are returning from the past. Despite the fact that the pedigree of the helmet originates in ancient times, thanks to developing technologies, it was possible to create a wide variety of new models that can provide the maximum level of protection. One of the most effective means of protection was the Altyn helmet.
Steel helmets
Until the twentieth century, steel was used to make helmets. Such means could provide protection only from stones and small fragments flying at low speed. Steel helmets were effective in those cases when a striking element weighing no more than one kilogram hit the head. If the speed of the fragment exceeded 650 m / s, it already posed a serious danger to the fighter. According to statistics, during the Great Patriotic War it was precisely such striking means that were the most common.
The need for improved protection
In the late 50s, in view of the intensive development of the armaments of the armies of different countries of the world, the Soviet military leadership more than ever had the acute question of the need to improve the protection of military personnel and law enforcement officers. The army and law enforcement agencies were required to provide modernized helmets in accordance with international standards. The Altyn helmet, which began to be developed at the Steel Research Institute in 1980, became such a means of protection. The Swiss Tig was used as the basis for the future helmet, which has been used by antiterrorist special forces in Europe for two years now.
December 27, 1979 Tig was tested by fighters of the Alpha KGB of the USSR in Afghanistan during the assault on the palace of Amin. The quality of the Swiss helmet was appreciated by the leadership of the Soviet state security, and limited quantities of Tig were purchased purely for the needs of the KGB. It was on the model of this product that the Altyn helmet was designed.
Start creating a new helmet
The leadership of the special forces of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Union in 1980 handed over the Tig helmet model to the specialists of the Research Institute of Steel. The workers were instructed, according to this Swiss model, to create their own domestic helmet, which with its technical indicators should not be inferior to the foreign model. In addition, as the source material, the KGB officers provided the engineers with all the necessary information on the manufacture of titanium helmets, collected at one time by the Austrian company Ulbrichts.
Research Institute
By the mid-80s, employees of the Steel Institute had manufactured a titanium shell for the future protective equipment. An armored visor was also designed, which later was planned to equip Altyn. The helmet (the original product), created at the Institute of Steel, in 1984 was handed over to state security officers. Its final assembly was already carried out by specialists of the KGB of the USSR. They equipped the Altyn helmet with all the necessary radio communication headsets.
What was finalized by the KGB?
The helmet model, transmitted by the designers of the research institute, was a dome that had only a titanium shell. Aramid backwater in the product design was absent. The titanium shell did not exceed 0.4 cm. State security experts equipped the helmet with aramid support and reduced the thickness of titanium to 0.3 cm.
The domestic protective agent created according to the Swiss model had a slightly different shape, but in terms of quality it turned out to be no less reliable than Tig. The Soviet helmet differed from the foreign model in the type and location of the radio headset. Some Altyn models were never equipped with intercoms.
KGB employees created several versions of the helmet, which differed in the following parameters:
- location of protective boxes for buttons;
- connectors
- type of undercoat;
- the size of the armor glass visor for visor.
Soviet specialists also created a version of the helmet with a fabric cover. Compared to the Swiss Tig, the Altyn helmet was larger.
Description
For the manufacture of protective equipment used shockproof fiberglass and titanium.
- In early helmet models, the thickness of the titanium shell was 0.4 cm.
- In the samples manufactured during 1984-1990, the titanium layer was reduced to 0.3 cm, and an aramid support and a radio headset were added to the helmet design.
- "Altyn" consisted of a single dome. There were no seams in the design of this product.
- The product was equipped with a rubber trim.
- The weight of the helmet ranged from 3.5 to 4.0 kilograms.
- The model was equipped with a special visor made of polycarbonate glass.
- A cover was provided for some versions.
- A unique suspension system was installed on the Altyn helmet, with which it could easily be adjusted to fit the size of the head.
- Some versions were equipped with intercoms.
Who used the protective agent?
During the Soviet Union, “Altyn” was used by KGB officers (groups “A”, “B” and “C”), used by fighters of “Alpha” and “Vympel” during the military conflict in Afghanistan and Chechnya. Until 2014, the equipment of special forces fighters necessarily included the Altyn helmet.
Armor Characteristics
"Altyn" is able to protect its head from bullets, knives, fragments of grenades, shells and mines. The dome of the product belongs to the 2nd class of protection, the armored steel visor - to the 1st. To prevent possible contusion of a fighter as a result of a fall or blow is another function that the Altyn helmet provided. A photo of the armored helmet is presented in the article.
Alternative helmet model
During the years of the Soviet Union, the KGB took control of the creation of this helmet. It was the security officials who carried out the final assembly of Altyn. After the collapse of the USSR, the situation did not change: the baton was accepted by the Federal Security Service of Russia. The current situation did not quite suit the engineers of the Steel Research Institute, who, as developers, sought to fully control the assembly of the helmet from beginning to end.
It was possible to get rid of the FSB control by creating a new model of the KB-3 armored protective equipment, which completely copied the Altyn helmet. The disadvantages of the new helmet were the lack of a radio headset needed to maintain communication between the fighters. In addition, the limiters picked up in the new model were riveted, and not screwed in as in the "Altyn". Nevertheless, the KB-3 became a very high-quality copy of Altyn and was completely assembled from 1990 to 2014 exclusively by the institute staff. Today, mass production of these models is discontinued.
How to make a helmet at home?
For those who like handicrafts, making the Altyn helmet with their own hands will be easy if you perform the work in stages:
- First you need to pick up a helmet that could become the basis for Altyn. For this, you can use the old Soviet model of the open type. According to reviews, Salyut is ideal.
- Remove all contents from the purchased helmet. Leave only the outer shell. You can also leave a comforter made of foam.
- Using fine-grained emery paper, wipe the varnish from the surface of the helmet. It is advisable not to touch the factory paint, since it is laid on an already primed plastic surface. In the future, the new paint will lie more evenly on it, and the master will not have to additionally buy various plasticizers to improve adhesion. When removing varnish, it is better to use car sandpaper No. 400. Coarse-grained is not advisable to use, since it can scratch the plastic.
- Grind the surface. There should not be any scratches on the helmet for painting. If they do exist, it is advisable to sand them thoroughly. The paint will lay down well and hold for a long time if the surface has no flaws.
- For painting, you can use acrylic, model or enamel paint. Before applying it, the surface should be degreased. The product must be painted in several layers. Before applying each new layer, the previous one should dry well and not stick to the fingers. You can speed up the drying process with a hairdryer. During operation, make sure that no smudges form on the helmet.
- Coat the helmet with acrylic varnish. It is possible that after drying the surface will shine very much. You can fix this with a small piece of sandpaper. As a result, the future helmet will receive a discreet matte shade. The varnishing procedure can be omitted if the future helmet is planned to be equipped with a cover.
The final stage consists in gluing the edging and the suspension system. It can be strap or leather. Images of the Altyn helmet can be found on the Internet. It depends on the wizard exactly which version he wants to create.
Is this helmet used today?
In the 1980s, the effective use of Altyns in many military conflicts allowed him to take the place of honor of the “King of Helmets”. This protective agent can often be seen in the movies, in photographs. On this helmet the equipment of the heroes of computer games was created. Employees of the “A” and “B” departments of the State Security Committee of the Soviet Union appreciated this titanium armor.
Despite the cessation of mass production of this model of armored helmets, Altyn has not lost its relevance. Even today it is used by employees of the Russian power structures, and former special forces soldiers speak of Altyn as one of the best means of defense.
