BALLISTIC STANDARDS & TEST METHODS FOR HELMETS
According to the Technical Guideline (TR), ballistic helmets must meet several requirements to ensure helmet safety. First, helmets must be chemical repellent in order to be deemed functional. Second, the materials used to produce the helmet must be flame retardant and shock absorbant. Third, ballistic helmets must not have sharp or protruding edges that can cause injury to the wearer.
To prove that ballistic helmets meet these requirements, they must undergo extensive testing. The testing is structured to verify helmet performance under the severest of operational conditions. One of the standards utilised for testing is that which was developed by the National Institute of Justice (NIJ).
NIJ STANDARD 0106.01
According to the NIJ, ballistic helmets are divided into three types based on their performance level:
Level I
A ballistic helmet must provide protection against standard test rounds and lesser threats such as 12-gauge No. 4 lead shot and most handgun rounds in calibres 25 and 32.
Level II-A
A ballistic helmet must provide protection against the standard test rounds and lesser threats such as 12-gauge 00 buckshot, 45-calibre Automatic, 22-calibre Long Rifle High-Velocity, 38 Special, and some other factory loads in calibre 357 Magnum and 9mm, in addition to the threats in Level I.
Level II
A ballistic helmet must protect against most factory handgun loads in calibres 9mm and 357 Magnum in addition to lesser threats such as 12-gauge 00 buckshot, 45-calibre Automatic, 22-caliber Long Rifle High-Velocity, and High-Velocity 38 Special.
There is also a Level III-A, but it is not included in the official NIJ standard. Even so, Level III-A represents the current benchmark for ballistic helmets used by military and special forces.
Level III-A provides greater protection than level II and against most factory handgun loads in the calibres 44 Magnum, 9mm, and 357 Magnum, as well as against lesser threats. However, Level III-A helmets deliver in addition increased protection from projectile impacts, which are increasingly common in modern combat environments.
TEST METHODS NIJ STANDARD 0106.01

TRANSMITTED FORCES:
- 1 helmet/test ammunition
- Tested at ambient conditions
- 4 impact locations: helmet rear, front, left, right
- Peak linear acceleration <400 g
- Correlation with injury unknown

PENETRATION RESISTANCE:
- 2 helmets/test ammunition
- 1st helmet tested at ambient conditions
- 2nd helmet wet-conditioned (immersion 2-4 hours)
- Only level I, II-A, and II required
- No ballistic limit tests (V50)
- 4 impact locations: helmet rear, front, left, right
You can read more about the NIJ standards and test methods in our blog article "Ballistic protection levels explained–NIJ".
VPAM HVN 2009
When it comes to ballistic helmet standards, a crucial criterion distinguishing NIJ 0106.01 from VPAM HVN 2009 is that of deformation. VPAM measures it, while NIJ does not.
TEST METHODS VPAM HVN 2009

These are the testing requirements spelled out under VPAM HVN 2009:
For the first test*, five hits need to be positioned on one helmet. The hits must be evenly distributed on the surface. A further hit shall be positioned anywhere, 20 + 5 mm from the edge and at least 80 mm from a hit already made.
For the second test**, two hits each are to be positioned on two helmets with complete interior equipment at arbitrary positions in order to determine the residual energy.
*Test 1: helmet is to be fastened by means of a rigid device in such a way that it cannot be detached from the holding device by the firing.
**Test 2: helmet is placed on a measuring head and fastened; chin strap is put on. During the test, it must be ensured that the helmet is placed in a position in which the entire mass of the measuring head does not act on the chin strap.
Read our latest article about VPAM to learn more about this ballistic standard: "Ballistic protection levels explained–VPAM".