Future Assault Shell Technology helmet
combat helmet
The Ops-Core Future Assault Shell Technology (FAST) helmet, also known as the FAST helmet, is an American combat helmet used by special operations forces and law enforcement tactical organizations in various countries, as well as the current standard protective headgear of the Norwegian Armed Forces and New Zealand Army.
The FAST helmet series features a distinctive shell shape, with ear cut geometry which extends coverage over the rear occipital bone without load carrier interference, and optimizes weight distribution for increased stability, integration, balance, and comfort. The helmet features various suspension and retention systems, and ARC rails which, similar to picatinny rails, enable users to mount items like helmet lights and cameras.
History
The FAST helmet was developed by the U.S. Army Research Laboratory in collaboration with the U.S. Army Natick Soldier Research, Development and Engineering Center and the Program Executive Office (PEO) Soldier as part of the Army Manufacturing Technology (ManTech) Program, which also led to the development of the Enhanced Combat Helmet (ECH).
The name FAST helmet was coined by a manufacturing company called Ops-Core in 2005. In 2008, Ops-Core showed off their prototype helmet with their Head-Loc™ Helmet Retention System (a.k.a. Head-Loc Retention System) at the 2008 SHOT Show convention. The helmet was publicly revealed in 2009 at the annual SHOT Show. It was issued to U.S. special forces operators deployed in Afghanistan.
In 2019, U.S. Special Operations Command awarded Gentex a contract worth $95 million to supply Ops-Core FAST SF Super High Cut Helmets that were released in 2018.
The public source identifies “Future Assault Shell Technology helmet” as combat helmet. This brief keeps that definition visible, then builds a research path around Future, Assault and Shell.
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This entry incorporates text from “Future Assault Shell Technology helmet” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.