| KH-B2000 New Type Bangtan Helmet | |
| Origin: | South Korea |
| Type: | Combat helmet |
| Service: | 2003–present |
| Used By: | See Users |
| Wars: | Iraq War War in Afghanistan |
| Designer: | Silver Star Company Oriental Industry |
| Design Date: | 1997–2003 |
| Manufacturer: | Silver Star Company Oriental Industry (2003–2006) Samyang Company (2006–2008) Samyang Comtech (2008–present) |
| Production Date: | 2-point strap: 2003–2013 4-point strap: 2013–present |
| Weight: | 1,150 g |
The KH-B2000,[1] originally known as New Type Bangtan Helmet (Korean: 신형 방탄 헬멧; Bangtan is Korean for "anti-ballistic" or "bulletproof"), is a combat helmet developed by South Korea from 1997 to 2003. The helmet is made with ultra-high-molecular-weight polyethylene (UHMWPE), which increased the protection capability by more than two times compared to older Bangtan Helmet while achieving weight of only 1,150 g.[2] [3]
Production began in 2003, and was first issued to Zaytun Division for the Iraq War in 2004.[4]
Korean media incorrectly named the helmet a Fritz Helmet when it was first released to public in 2003.[4] [5]
Discussion on the development of the new bulletproof helmet began in 1993 after it was pointed out that Bangtan Helmet, featuring nylon composite material, offers significantly less protection compared to the United States' Personnel Armor System for Ground Troops (PASGT) counterpart.[6]
In the 1996 Gangneung submarine infiltration incident showed that Bangtan Helmet was useless against rifle fire; a soldier was shot dead by a helmet penetration shot from .223 Remington (5.56x45mm) fired from the M16 rifle by North Korean infiltrators.[2] Therefore, a development plan was issued in the same year. Eunseong and Oriental Industry (now Samyang Comtech), the manufacturers of Bangtan Helmet, began the development for a new ballistic helmet in 1997.